Houston family suing Arby’s after mother found dead in freezer

twenty six news at five starts right now. A Houston woman froze to death after she was left stranded inside of a restaurant freezer for hours it all happened at Arby's and new Iberia Louisiana on may eleventh the tragic situation the woman's family is now suing the restaurant in franchisee fox twenty six is Natalie Hee joins us live to tell us what the family seeking that'll- well the lawsuit claims that Arby's upper management knew that the freezers latch had been broken for several months and did nothing to fix or address the issue. They believe that this death could have been prevented we do want to warn our viewers as in the details are about to hear maybe a little disturbing. Her family talks so. Passionately about her about how she was a loving mother do you at least four kids won't let their mothers loving memory fade without justice the family from Houston is now suing Arby's and its parent company claiming gross negligence it's one any kind of the most horrific deaths you can imagine. Their attorney Paul Skrivan exit sixty three year old new yet Lee had been working at the Arby's off the south loop west in Houston for several years but was asked to fill in as general manager for the new Iberia Louisiana location for six weeks. On may eleventh mislead showed up to the restaurant at nine AM. She began doing duties to get the restaurant ready to open that day. And somehow must have gotten locked in that freezer before ten AM. Because other employees began to show up at ten eleven o'clock in the morning. And I couldn't get in I guess they don't give them keys polls that the employees called ms Lee's phone repeatedly but received no answer for hours. It wasn't until upper management ask ms least signed win who had keys to the restaurant to check on the place nearly nine hours later. The general manager realized we don't have any sales at the location today that's really really odd. And asked him to go check things out and that's when- when found his mother about six o'clock that evening talking to the police officer that investigated the scene he said. She really struggle to get out of that freezer. She beat on the door as hard as she could there was blood on the door- and she ultimately fell. Face first and froze to the floor documents say ms Lee died of hypothermia has the freezer was maintained at least negative ten degrees or colder. The lawsuit also claims employees used a screwdriver and a box of oil to help keep the freezer door open. We know from talking to a former employee there. That'd been broken since at least August of last year. And that. Upper management had come through there and personally witnessed that broken latch. And nothing to be done he made repeated requests to get addressed. An in. I'm told that missile. Actually a request. In writing to management as well about it. Up next in the case the family's attorney tells me that he's asked RBS and its parent company to preserve any evidence related to this case that includes. Surveillance video we also reached out to an attorney representing. The franchisee but so far we have not heard back meanwhile a spokesperson. For Arby's footprint says that they are aware of the tragic incident and says they are

Channel: FOX 26 Houston

Views: 1,204,336

Keywords: News, fox_26, kriv, fox_26_houston, arby's, houston, lawsuit, louisiana, harris county

Id: 1ccSBpD-H6g

Length: 3min 18sec (198 seconds)

Published: Wed May 31 2023