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MT. HOLLY, N.J. , April 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- A severely burned Delran, New Jersey woman is suing Dunkin' Brands Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: DNKN), among several defendants, in what is believed to be the first negligence and product liability lawsuit in which it is alleged that a customer's second and third degree scalding-liquid burns occurred in large part because of the company's "structurally and dangerously-defective, four-cup paper coffee carrier", said Paul R. D'Amato , of The D'Amato Law Firm that represents the plaintiff.

"This is a serious, life-altering incident that we now know was waiting to happen due primarily to the defectively designed, flimsy, paper coffee carrier that the negligent Dunkin' store employee used to deliver three cups (extra-large, large, medium) of hot coffee - collectively weighing more than three pounds - to Samantha Picklo , as she waited, as instructed, in the driver's seat of her vehicle, outside the store," said Mr. D'Amato. "The shallow paper cup holder – even doubled up in an apparent effort to provide additional support – catastrophically failed when the employee at the Route 130 Delran Dunkin' Donuts attempted to hand the carrier to Ms. Picklo. Still recovering after her emergency treatment and hospitalization at a specialty burn unit, she's concerned that what happened to her can and will happen to others unless Dunkin' promptly replaces its hazardous beverage carriers." He added, "Our preliminary forensic examination clearly shows the type of carrier Dunkin' used to deliver coffees to Ms. Picklo is inherently unstable and unsafe. The defendants know this, and that's why their third-party delivery services – including Door Dash - use an entirely different carrier, one which is sturdy and sealed. That is likely a more expensive option for Dunkin, but aren't its customers worth the expense?"

Ms. Picklo, a working mother of three special needs children (the youngest is 5), said of the August 17, 2021 , incident, "I was in total shock. I never felt such excruciating pain as when those coffees – starting with the Extra Large cup – suddenly dropped onto my lap; riding in the ambulance to the burn unit in Philadelphia , all I could think of were my precious babies and if I'd be able to care for them. I'm still scarred from these burns to my lower body, but even more searing is the thought that this can and will happen again unless Dunkin' replaces those carriers with ones that are safe. That can't happen soon enough."

The multi-count lawsuit (Picklo vs. Dunkin' Brands Group, Inc. et al. BUR-L-495-22) filed last month in the Superior Court of New Jersey , Burlington County Law Division, and which includes a claim for damages, also alleges:

Barnes Hutchins , Ms. Picklo's husband,  said, "We are immensely grateful to the Delran first responders, the medical teams, and all those that worked to help Samantha after this tragedy, that was so clearly preventable. All we want is for all the facts to come out and, most importantly, for real changes to protect others from harm."

Note: 911 calls related to this case are available for media review at https://damatolawfirm.com/in-the-news/picklo-litigation/. Ms. Picklo, at this time, is unavailable for interviews.

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