BUFORD, Ga. -- A jury awarded a Buford, Ga., woman $1.2 million in damages for burn injuries she suffered from a cappuccino machine at a QuikTrip convenience store in 2007, her attorney told The Gwinnett Daily Post.
Cynthia Nance, 52, was scalded Halloween night 2007 at a store in Jackson County when 190-degree water shot from the coffee machine because a part had been removed for cleaning. Nance was burned on her hand and arm as she held a cup below the nozzle, said her attorney, Nelson Tyrone III.
Tulsa, Okla.-based QuikTrip declined to comment to CSP [image-nocss] Daily News on the case. The company, which operates approximately 570 c-stores and travel centers in 10 states, told the Associated Press that Nance's injury resulted from a rare accident. The company said that it has since replaced the cappuccino machines at all of its stores.
Tyrone said his client now suffers from a permanent nerve disorder called Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy syndrome and could suffer lifelong repercussions.
A jury awarded $1.2 million in compensatory damages in late December, and the parties settled punitive damages out of court for an undisclosed amount. Tyrone said the company offered to settle with his client before trial for $88,000.
"I believe that QuikTrip never understood the severity of Nance's condition until the trial," he told the newspaper.
Nance must receive regular nerve treatment, take narcotic pain medication and could require an electronic implant to correct nerve damage caused by the burning, her attorney said. Ha said the settlement will allow his client treatment "by the best doctors in the United States who are working with patients with her condition."
QuikTrip operates approximately 570 c-stores and travel centers in 10 states.
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