Two customers are suing a Texas Taco Bell, claiming the manager of the franchise threw boiling water on them.
A lawsuit was filed earlier this month for an incident that took place on June 17. The suit claims that Brittany Davis and a 16-year-old minor, identified only as C.T., both suffered severe burns and psychological trauma in the aftermath of a manager throwing a pitcher of scalding water at them while they were trying to resolve a complaint about their food.
The lawsuit, filed by civil rights lawyer Ben Crump and personal injury lawyer Paul Grinke, claims a $30 drive-thru order was filled incorrectly, and despite two additional passes through the drive-thru to get the correct items, the issue was still not rectified.
The women went to the door of the store, which was locked. An employee quickly let them in, but locked the door behind them.
Footage released alongside the lawsuit, which shows a variety of angles inside the store, shows the store manager filling up a water pitcher with what appears to be steaming water while talking on the phone.
Another camera angle shows the manager throwing the liquid from the pitcher at the two women, who are standing on the other side of the counter. As soon as the water makes contact, both woman can be seen running away.
The lawsuit, which has been published in its entirety by Fox 5, claims that the employee also tried to throw a second pitcher of hot water on the victims as they tried to escape the locked store.
The lawsuit also alleges that both women were left severely injured after the incident — the minor individual experienced burns to her face and chest after the boiling water soaked into her clothes and ran down her body, while Davis suffered multiple seizures on the way to the hospital before being transferred to a local ICU burn unit.
They are seeking more than US$1 million in damages from Taco Bell’s parent company Yum! Brands, the local franchisee, and two store workers.
The lawyers who filed the suit also allege that the footage shows one of the employees flashing a gun he was hiding under his uniform at the two women.
“Our hearts break for these two victims whose lives are forever changed because of the horrific and damaging actions by the Taco Bell manager and the larger entities that failed to protect (them),” the statement from Crump’s office reads.
Meanwhile, Taco Bell has stayed relatively mum on the incident, saying only in a statement that they “take the safety and wellbeing of team members and customers seriously.”
“Taco Bell is in contact with the franchise owner and operator of this restaurant on this matter,” the company responded in a statement to USA Today.
Taco Bell said it could not comment further on the pending litigation.