CHARLESTON - A Kanawha County woman has filed a suit against a local restaurant, after she became severely ill when she drank coffee that contained a harsh commercial cleanser.
Pamela Susan Toney filed a suit June 11 in Kanawha Circuit Court, against First Watch of Charleston, a restaurant located on Summers Street.
According to the suit, Toney visited the restaurant June 11, 2005, with her son. She ordered coffee, and a carafe of coffee was brought to her table.
"Approximately fifteen minutes later, after she had drunk two cups of coffee from the carafe, Ms. Toney was approached by two persons working at First Watch, who advised Ms. Toney that the coffee which she had ingested had mistakenly included a commercial urn cleaner, and that she had been accidentally poisoned," the suit says.
The cleanser was Urnex, a solution that is used to remove residue and coffee stains from coffee pots and urns.
According to the suit, one employee emptied a package of the Urnex into a pot of water, and left it unattended near the coffeemaker, and another employee mistakenly poured the solution into the coffeemaker to brew the pot of coffee, which was ultimately poured to Toney.
Toney claims she requested a package of Urnex, to read what to do if ingested. Management at the restaurant also called the makers of Urnex and the poison control center, to determine what to do.
Toney was advised the Urnex would not kill her, but it would have side effects. She was advised to "drink a lot of water for the next several days," the suit says.
According to the suit, Toney experienced diarrhea, vomiting, and acute abdominal cramps for the first 24 hours. She also had difficulty ingesting food and drink and suffered an outbreak of mouth sores. She also had other irritation and discomfort, for which she sought medical care.
Toney also underwent extensive medical testing, to examine the extent of damage to her gastro-intestinal tract.
Toney, through attorney Robert F. Williams, seeks full compensation for her injuries. She also seeks any recovery of the full extent of any legal interest, which may be properly awarded by the court.
The case has been assigned to Judge James Stucky.
Kanawha Circuit Court case number 07-C-1139
