Tennessee Health Department inspectors, and officials, contacted the Banner Friday afternoon concerning a mid-week incident at a local McDonalds.

Cleveland resident Savannah Blackwell and two of her aunts, stopped off at the McDonald’s Restaurant on North Lee Highway Wednesday evening and ordered cones of ice cream.

Blackwell, 22, thought her cone had some hard toppings on top. but the articles were small pieces of metal.

Blackwell, and both aunts, called SkyRidge Medical Center and were told to come to the emergency room for X-rays. The two older women had no lingering effects, but Blackwell had to return the next morning.

The metal slivers apparently gave the women sore throats, and a taste of metal.

Bradley County health inspector Traci Ford and Eric Coffey, Tennessee’s regional supervisor, followed up after a call from the Banner concerning the incident.

“Traci did a complete inspection of the restaurant,” Coffey said later Friday afternoon.

Coffey said a McDonald’s representative informed the state inspectors there was a mechanical failure with the ice cream machine.

“They were repairing it when we got there,” Coffey said.

He added the restaurant, and the McDonald’s corporation, were taking steps to repair the machine and correct the problem.

Blackwell said Friday morning there appears to be no continued threat to her health. None of the women had heard from McDonalds officials early Friday afternoon.