A Houston woman froze to death after she was stranded inside a restaurant freezer for hours. It happened at Arby’s in New Iberia, Louisiana on May 11th. The woman’s family is suing the restaurant and franchise.
An Arby’s general manager, Nguyet Le, 63, “beat her hands bloody” trying to escape the walk-in freezer. Her son discovered her body in the freezer, a lawsuit claims.
“The investigating officer relayed that inside of the door of the freezer had been bloodied leading him to conclude Ms. Le panicked once locked inside and beat her hands bloody trying to escape or get someone’s attention,” the lawsuit reads.
“Ultimately, she collapsed into a fetal position face down on the frozen floor. The preliminary autopsy findings were hypothermia as the cause of death.”
An Arby’s spokesperson told McClatchy News on May 26 that the franchisee in New Iberia is “cooperating fully with local authorities as they conduct their investigation” over the “tragic incident.”
Attorney Paul Skrabanek in Houston is representing the family to “help investigate and hold accountable those responsible for the potential negligence that led to such a disturbing end for their loved one,” a May 17 news release said.
Le, a widow and mother of four who lived with her oldest child Nguyen Le, worked at an Arby’s restaurant in Houston, Texas, as a general manager, the lawsuit says.
Credit: AOL, Fox 26, New York Post, TMZ