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.
Create Restaurant, in Astoria, Queens is being sued by Mary Elizabeth Smith[/caption]
Smith claims that she found a human finger in her chicken wrap (file)[/caption]
She snapped a picture of the grisly find[/caption]
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 said that she allegedly learned what the foreign object was after sending it to a forensic lab, which confirmed it was tissue from a human woman.
According to the lawsuit, Smith is seeking a hefty payout from Create, as she claims the negligence of the restaurant has left her with 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 insists 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 winding through New York courts and could be relying on DNA testing, which would prove if the finger tip comes from one of his employees.
The restaurant claims that Smith is not allowing testing of this fingertip, and Karagiannis believes this is proof that the fingertip was obtained elsewhere.
He also says that his insurance provider, Liberty Mutual, denied the claim after reviewing the case, leaving him on the hook for legal bills.
The U.S. Sun has reached out to Create for further comment on the lawsuit.
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.
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 claims 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 claims she went in for a salad, and when she started eating, found a human finger.
Cozzi went on to resolve the issue outside of court with the salad chain.
