23-year-old Melissa Postello of Sheffield, England was out on a date who decided they would stop by a drive-through Costa Coffee. She’d ordered a cup of hot tea.
When he turned the car a little too sharply around the next corner, though, her hand slipped and all of her hot beverage spilled across her lap.
“I remember saying ‘pull over’ and feeling like my legs were on fire,” Postello recalled.
She’d only been wearing shorts and tights. Within ten minutes of spilling her tea, her skin had already begun to blister.
The moment Postello returned home, she drew up a cold bath to tend her burns. But after just 20 minutes, she realized that the problem was just too much for her to treat at home.
She admitted herself to the emergency room.
Postello had suffered first-, second-, and third- degree burns and may need skin grafts to repair the damage in the future, but she was thankfully able to return home to recover the same day.
Since then, Postello has reached out to Costa, asking how hot they served their tea. While the company insisted none of their beverages were hotter than 92°C, Postello is fairly certain her burns were as severe as they were because the tea was at least 130°C.
“At home, I’ve spilt a little bit of boiling water on myself, and it’s hurt but it hasn’t been anything like this,” Postello explained.
A spokesperson from Costa has said they’re concerned about Postello’s health and is now investigating the branch that served her the scalding tea. “At Costa we take the health and wellbeing of our customers very seriously, and as such we are looking into this as a matter of priority.”
As for Postello’s date? They haven’t spoken since.
