A WOMAN has claimed that she bit down on a severed piece of a human finger as she ate a chicken wrap from a New York restaurant.
Mary Elizabeth Smith has filed a bombshell lawsuit after allegedly making the horrific discovery in November 2023.
She’s accused the popular New York City eatery Create Astoria of causing her lifelong trauma with the disgusting meal oversight.
According to the lawsuit, Smith allegedly took a single bite before feeling the fingernail in her mouth.
After ripping the flesh out of her mouth, she rushed to a clinic, fearing infection, and began antiretroviral therapy, the lawsuit claims.
Smith stated that she allegedly discovered the identity of the foreign object by sending it to a forensic lab, which confirmed it was tissue from a human woman.
As outlined in the lawsuit, Smith is demanding significant compensation from Create, asserting that the restaurant’s negligence has resulted in her experiencing severe emotional distress.
According to Smith this includes pain, shock, and mental anguish, which will continue to plague her because of the trauma.
She said that she suffers from panic attacks, nausea, and recurring nightmares due to the alleged oversight.
Meanwhile, the restaurant is fighting back.
According to People, the restaurant claimed the lawsuit was “ludicrous” and “completely fraudulent.”
Owner Teddy Karagiannis has insisted that no female staff were working in the kitchen that day and suggested the finger came from “another source.”
He’s now planning to countersue for slander, claiming that the lawsuit is a money grab.
The case is progressing through New York courts and may depend on DNA testing to determine if the fingertip originates from one of the restaurant’s employees.
The restaurant has argued that Smith is refusing DNA testing of the fingertip, and Karagiannis contends this refusal indicates the fingertip was sourced from elsewhere.
He also said that his insurance provider, Liberty Mutual, denied the claim after reviewing the case, leaving him on the hook for legal bills.
Instances With Fingers Found in Food
- New York chicken wrap (2023): A woman claimed she found a human fingertip with a nail in her chicken wrap from a restaurant in Astoria.
- Bolivia hamburger (2021): A woman in Bolivia found a severed human finger in her burger from a local fast-food chain.
- Michigan Arby’s sandwich (2012): A teenager said he found a severed finger in his roast beef sandwich.
- North Carolina frozen custard (2005): A customer at Kohl’s Frozen Custard discovered a human finger in his ice cream.
- Wendy’s chili hoax (2005): Anna Ayala claimed she found a severed finger in her bowl of chili at a Wendy’s in California.
The U.S. Sun has reached out to Create for further comment on the lawsuit.
RESTAURANT HORROR
This is not the first time human body parts have been reported to be found in food.
In Brazil, a teenage boy was left horrified after he claimed he bit into what he believed was a severed human fingertip hidden inside a meat pie.
In the UK, a couple claimed that they noticed a human fingernail embedded in a pie.
At a Chopt in New York, Allison Cozzi claimed she went in for a salad, and when she started eating, she found a human finger.
Cozzi went on to resolve the issue outside of court with the salad chain.
