The father of a 3-year-old girl has claimed that his daughter was scalded after a McDonald’s employee mistakenly gave her boiling hot water instead of cold water
A three year old girl allegedly “scalded her tongue” after mistakenly being handed boiling hot water at a McDonald’s in Singapore, her father has claimed.
Retired Singaporean footballer and father of the youngster, Ridhuan Muhammad, shared details of the incident on Instagram on 3 February, alleging that the McDonald’s worker incorrectly gave the scorching water to his daughter.
Describing the distressing 1 February experience, Muhammad, 41, posted: “Our hearts almost stopped. What was meant to be a normal outing turned into a hospital trip after my daughter was accidentally given boiling hot water instead of cold water like we asked for.”
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According to the joint Instagram post from Muhammad and his wife, Alisah, the McDonald’s employee allegedly poured the scalding water into his daughter’s insulated water bottle, which she drank from, subsequently burning her tongue.
The former footballer and his wife further stated that their young daughter “couldn’t eat or drink properly” after the incident, and that “she’s even traumatised at the sight of her water bottle.”, reports the Mirror US.
Both parents conveyed their anguish at witnessing their child suffering, stating: “No parent ever wants to see their child go through this.”
To provide further insight into their daughter’s ordeal at McDonald’s, Muhammad spoke with AsiaOne. He explained he approached the food collection counter and requested one of the staff to fill his daughter’s bottle with cold water.
“The filling area was not visible, and when the bottle was returned to me, there was no verbal warning. I assumed it contained cold water, as requested,” he said. “No confirmation was sought.”
Muhammad also noted that “the bottle is an insulated drinking bottle with a straw, and not a vacuum flask,” reported AsiaOne.
According to Muhammad, the McDonald’s worker in question initially claimed that the retired Singaporean footballer had requested hot water. However, this statement was later withdrawn, and the staff member admitted that “she did not hear properly.”
Whilst Muhammad and his wife, Alisah, accepted responsibility for not double-checking their daughter’s bottle, they have “learned from this experience,” according to their Instagram post. “No parents would ever intentionally put their child in harm’s way,” they wrote.
“We always try to checked everything before giving them food or drinks, but accident can still happen.”
Nevertheless, he still insists that the McDonald’s employee remained negligent. Speaking to AsiaOne, Muhammad declared, “If not because of the staff member’s complacency and negligence, this incident could have been avoided.”
Within the same joint carousel post, the couple shared footage of their three year old daughter in tears on Muhammad’s lap following the incident whilst receiving medical attention.
Additional clips captured her distress from the searing pain and her subsequent refusal to drink from her bottle.
How has McDonald’s responded to this incident?
A McDonald’s spokesperson provided a statement to AsiaOne, according to PEOPLE. Both they and the company are aware of the unfortunate incident and “take the matter seriously. Our preliminary review indicates there was a misunderstanding at the point of service regarding the request for hot or cold water,” the spokesperson stated.
“The safety and well-being of our customers is our priority. We are reviewing the incident with the restaurant team to reinforce service procedures and clearer communication, particularly when handling hot items.”
Additionally, the McDonald’s spokesperson and the branch manager have contacted Muhammad, enquiring about his daughter’s condition and providing support.
The Muhammad family received ten ‘Be our Guest’ cards—understood to allow complimentary menu item redemption—posted to their residence as a goodwill gesture.
