Written By: Todd Walker, KUSA
AURORA - Maddison Bullock is supposed to be training for a major figure skating competition, but instead she is sick in bed.
She says she drank tea at a Noodles & Company at the Southlands Mall in Aurora right before closing time. She said employees had already filled the self-serve tea dispenser with cleaner.
She says the tea was normal colored, smelled fine and didn't taste all too strange, just watered down. She says an employee came up to her and asked if she drank the tea.
According to Maddison, the employee told her they had already started cleaning the tea dispenser.
Maddison and her mom, Layna, say at first the employee downplayed the solution as just soap and water, but then told them it was a poisonous cleaning chemical.
Layna says she insisted the paramedics be called but said even that was a struggle.
"The 911 call did not happen immediately," Layna said. "There was really no help in getting that done. We were really on our own."
"No manager came over," Maddison said. "It was basically us and this employee frantically trying to get me to tell her that I was okay."
The paramedics were eventually called. Maddison was checked out and sent home. She started getting sick and vomiting about an hour later.
She had a follow-up appointment with a doctor scheduled for Monday afternoon. Today she says her throat still burns and her glands are swollen.
Noodles & Company issued the following statement Monday afternoon:
"The safety of our guests is our top priority and something we take very seriously ... We regret that this incident occurred and agreed with the family to cover any medical expenses."
A company spokesperson says cleaning out these machines before closing is not standard practice.
Noodles & Company says the employee and manager on shift have been spoken to and they are investigating the incident.