A woman claims that she found used needles on a baby changing table that she was supposed to use for her baby inside a McDonald's restaurant.
Needles On Baby Changing Table
Jade Krotke said that the incident happened at a McDonald's restaurant in Plymouth, England where she was with family and friends . She said that she and her husband Sebastian found three used needles on the surface of the restaurant's pull-down table when they went to change their 8-month-old baby daughter Olivia.
"While he was lifting her out of the pram I pulled the unit down and heard the clang of a metal dish," Krotke said. "I was immediately in shock and suddenly realised the packaging was needles."
Needles Left To Injure Someone
The 25-year-old mother said that the needles were likely placed there with malicious intent to injure someone and that her child may have caught diseases from the needles had she failed to see them.
Several infections can be passed by a needle stick injury, which happens when needle from a syringe used for injection accidentally punctures the skin. These include hepatitis B, hepatitis C, and HIV.
Krotke said that she was disgusted by the person who left the syringes there. She said that there was a sanitary bin and the person who used the needles should have disposed of the needles or at least attempted to flush them.
She said that a parent could have been too busy to notice the needles before putting their baby down. Young kids could also have picked up the needles without their parents knowing it and seriously hurt themselves.
McDonald's Response
Krotke warned parents to be extra vigilant when they use baby changing facilities and urged them to check everything before putting their baby down. She also alerted McDonald's and advised that staff should check the toilets after every use.
Krotke said that the cashier was apologetic when informed about the incident but was not satisfied with how the manager responded. She said that the manager acted in a way that made her feel like the incident is a frequent occurrence at the New George Street McDonald's.
They also tried to report the incident on the fast food giant's website but they were faced with many questions and then received an automated response.
A McDonald's spokesperson apologized for the incident. In a statement, the fast-food chain gave assurance that the baby changing facility is checked often and it places paramount importance on hygiene and safety.
