LETHBRIDGE, ALBERTA, CANADA (CTV Network/CNN) – A McDonald’s in Canada is apologizing for serving cleaning solution to a pregnant woman, who hopes her situation can keep the restaurant chain from making the same mistake again.
When Sarah Douglas, who is pregnant, ordered a latte from the McDonald’s drive-thru, she got a cup of cleaning solution instead.
She took one sip and immediately noticed something wrong.
"The feeling at the moment that I felt in my mouth was an immediate reaction of a burning, fuzzy feeling. My tongue felt fuzzy, and my mouth felt, kind of, almost numb,” Douglas said.
The woman returned to the restaurant to speak with management and learned that the latte machine was still attached to the cleaning solution. She took a picture and called emergency services to make sure she would be OK.
"Poison control just said they wanted to monitor my symptoms and that if I was to develop shortness of breath or breathing difficulties or swallowing difficulties, to make sure that I went to the hospital,” Douglas said.
Since then, Douglas has visited her family doctor and says she’s been lucky to not have suffered any symptoms. Now, she wants to make sure people know about the incident.
"My fear is that a child could have been a victim to such a preventable mistake, and I’m just glad it has come to this so that we can make people aware and, hopefully, make a change for the better,” Douglas said.
The franchise owner Dan Brown says he’s been in close contact with Douglas and apologized. The store is also taking action to review its cleaning procedures.
"The machine was being cleaned as it is every morning. Unfortunately, the milk supply line was connected to the cleaning solution. We have taken immediate action to review the proper cleaning procedures with the team and have put additional signage up as an added reminder,” said Brown in a statement.
Alberta Health Services say they’re aware of what happened and are investigating the complaint. A health inspector has also visited the location.
Copyright 2018 CTV Network, Sarah Douglas via CNN. All rights reserved.
