By Michael Shemtoub, trial attorney, Beverly Law. Updated November 2026.
Burned because of someone else?
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When to send it
Send it as soon as you are able, ideally in the first week. Address it to the store or property manager and, for a chain or large company, also to its legal department or registered agent. Keep a copy and proof of delivery: certified mail with a return receipt, or email plus a mailed copy.
What to fill in
- The exact place: store number and street address, apartment unit, job site or vehicle.
- The date and the time window, generous enough to cover before and after the burn (for example 30 minutes on each side).
- Which cameras: drive-thru lane and window, counter, entrance, parking lot, hallway.
- The physical items: the cup, lid, carrier, appliance, heater, part or container, and any maintenance or inspection records for it.
The template
[Your address, phone and email]
[Date]
Sent by certified mail, return receipt requested, and by email
To: [Store or property manager], [Business name], [Street address]
Copy to: [Company legal department or registered agent], [Address]
Re: Request to preserve evidence of an incident on [date] at about [time] at [location]
On [date], at about [time], I was burned at [store number and address / property / job site] when [one sentence: for example, a hot drink spilled at the drive-thru window / a heater in my unit malfunctioned]. I am asking you to keep, and not erase, alter or throw away, the following:
1. All video and still images from [the drive-thru lane and window, counter, entrance, parking lot, hallway] from [time 30 minutes before] to [time 30 minutes after] on [date], in the original format.
2. Any incident report, manager's log, customer complaint or employee statement about the incident.
3. The order or transaction record, register or point-of-sale data, and the names of the employees on shift at the time.
4. The physical items involved, including [the cup, lid and carrier / the heater / the part / the container], and any equipment, temperature, maintenance or inspection records for them.
5. Emails, texts and messages about the incident.
Please tell your insurer and anyone else responsible for these records about this request. If your system records over video automatically, please stop that process for the footage listed above.
Thank you. Please confirm in writing that you received this letter and that the items will be kept.
[Your signature]
[Your name]
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After you send it
Write down the date you sent it and keep the delivery receipt. If someone calls you about the letter, take notes and do not give a recorded statement. Keep your own evidence too, as our after-a-burn checklist explains, and check your filing deadline with the deadline calculator. For drive-thru and coffee spills, see drive-thru burns.
This template is general information, not legal advice, and using it does not create an attorney-client relationship. A lawyer can tailor it to your facts and send it on letterhead.
Talk to a burn injury lawyer
Beverly Law can send a preservation letter for you as part of a free case review in English or Spanish. Call (310) 552-6959. You owe no fees or costs unless we win. See our burn injury lawyer page.
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Burn injury lawyer — Beverly Law
If you or your child was burned because of someone else in California, Texas and Washington, talk to a burn injury attorney. Free, confidential, English or Spanish. You owe no fees or costs unless we win.
Related pages
Important: This page is general information, not legal or medical advice, and reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship. Every case is different; talk to a lawyer about yours. Texas cases are handled by the firm’s Texas-licensed attorneys, Joyce Ondich and John Efstathiou. Last reviewed: November 6, 2026.