Where is sense of common sense?

Is there a complete lack of personal responsibility and common sense left in our society?

Though the article in the Antelope Valley Press on July 21 does not give a complete picture of the situation, how does a jury award someone $800,000 for a burn caused by a hot Chicken McNugget? The article states that the girl “received second-degree burns when a hot Chicken McNugget fell on her leg as her mother pulled away from the drive thru.” A separate article states that the mother handed the Happy Meal to her 4-year-old daughter in the backseat.

Is the restaurant responsible for a 4-year-old dropping a knowingly hot item into her lap? Does the mother hold no responsibility?

The girl’s parents said the fast food chain and franchise owner failed to warn customers about the dangers of the hot food. Seriously? People need to be warned about the dangers of hot food? A second-degree burn is “a mild to moderate burn” and some severe ones can be painful and cause scarring, but $800,000? The really scary thing is the family originally asked for $15 million.

Do people serving on juries not realize that the cost of these exorbitant awards come back to affect everyone with higher costs? The restaurant insurance goes up so prices increase. It’s common sense. Where has it gone?

My wife received a probable second-degree burn when a popcorn kernel jumped out of the popcorn popper and landed in a sensitive area. She said it was very painful as well as embarrassing but we laughed about the entire situation. I guess we missed out there.

Steve Lockhart Lancaster