LA - Woman's body found in Arby's walk-in freezer is restaurant's manager- New Iberia, 11 May 2023

[bombardier]

This Arbys is literally down the street from me. It’s never busy. Usually one worker at a time.

Family of employee who was found dead in Arby's freezer file suit

The family of the woman who was found dead in the freezer of the New Iberia Arby's is planning to file suit. Alleging her death could have been prevented.

www.katc.com

"From talking with the authorities, there was something broken with the latch, and I don't know the specifics of it yet but whatever it was they were having to routinely keep the door open with a box of oil," said [the attorney].
"The preliminary report from the coroner's office is that hypothermia was the cause of death," Skrabanek tells KATC. "Which is horrific and the investigating officers found a good bit of blood on the door so she must have fought to get out before collapsing."
Since Le was working alone when the incident occurred she was unable to call for help, the employee stated.

"She was there by herself so I believe she got stuck in the freezer door and she had no one to help her get out."

Le was contracted from Texas to work at the New Iberia location with her son, who was the one to find his mother's body unresponsive in the freezer.

oh, how horrible, especially it being her son....

 

[evilwise]

The body was found at 6:30 PM, not am, which makes it all the more weirder. You would assume workers would be using it semi-regularly during the day.

Oh I guess I read it wrong my bad. In that case, from what @Tyra1003 said I imagine it was just being the dinner clerk coming in for a shift during that time period when they have enough business the manager can't just cover it herself. Small shops operate like that because the managers are salaried so they sit there keeping the lights on during times it's not worth paying an hourly person.

 

[BayouBelle_LA]

“I think once you see the police report, you’re going to see how horrific this was and how it was described to me,” Skrabanek said. “Her getting caught into this freezer and trying to beat on the door until her hands were bloody. There was blood all over the door and then she collapsed into a fetal position before freezing face-first to the floor.”

Le was a general manager with Arby’s in Houston, Skrabanek said, and that the franchise’s corporate office asked her to go to New Iberia and help that store for a little while. The incident happened towards the end of her temporary assignment, after she’d been in New Iberia for 4-6 weeks.

Family of woman who died in New Iberia Arby’s sues company

The family of the woman who died in the New Iberia Arby’s on May 11 is suing the fast-food company, the family’s lawyer has confirmed.

www.klfy.com

 

[evilwise]

"From talking with the authorities, there was something broken with the latch, and I don't know the specifics of it yet but whatever it was they were having to routinely keep the door open with a box of oil," said [the attorney].
"The preliminary report from the coroner's office is that hypothermia was the cause of death," Skrabanek tells KATC. "Which is horrific and the investigating officers found a good bit of blood on the door so she must have fought to get out before collapsing."
Since Le was working alone when the incident occurred she was unable to call for help, the employee stated.

"She was there by herself so I believe she got stuck in the freezer door and she had no one to help her get out."

Le was contracted from Texas to work at the New Iberia location with her son, who was the one to find his mother's body unresponsive in the freezer.

oh, how horrible, especially it being her son....

Oh jeez that really does sound like serious negligence by the company, assuming there's a record of it having been reported (that isn't currently being shredded)

 

[ifindedout]

Is "a box of oil" something like this? Or bigger?

Canola Oil - 35 lb.

From cooking to baking, sauteing to stir-frying, this canola oil is great for all of your kitchen needs! Not only is this oil extremely versatile, but it's also a healthy choice. Its reputation as the most nutritious oil has created high demand. In fact, canola oil is currently the third most...

www.webstaurantstore.com

 

[BayouBelle_LA]

The body was found at 6:30 PM, not am, which makes it all the more weirder. You would assume workers would be using it semi-regularly during the day.
edit- just read that she was working alone that day. How is that possible, doing cash drive thru cooking etc all by herself?

It’s weird that her son dropped her off between 8:30 and 9:00 am and he was the one to find her when he came back to open the store. (at 6:30 pm??) She was there performing opening functions before the rest of the crew got there - according to the article.

Family of employee who was found dead in Arby's freezer file suit

The family of the woman who was found dead in the freezer of the New Iberia Arby's is planning to file suit. Alleging her death could have been prevented.

www.katc.com

 

[annpats]

New Iberia is about 20-30 minutes from Lafayette, LA. Apparently, not all commercial freezers have an inside release handle to prevent someone from being locked in.

Well, they should! It's 2023, not 1943.

Is there not a U.S. Government Safety body that can demand this law?

 

[ifindedout]

I sure hope the door has been replaced by now. Is the restaurant still open?

 

[ifindedout]

Well, they should! It's 2023, not 1943.

Is there not a U.S. Government Safety body that can demand this law?

That would be OSHA.

Occupational Safety and Health Administration - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[steeltowngirl]

The body was found at 6:30 PM, not am, which makes it all the more weirder. You would assume workers would be using it semi-regularly during the day.
edit- just read that she was working alone that day. How is that possible, doing cash drive thru cooking etc all by herself?

I know fast food restaurants near me were having trouble hiring and keeping workers last year, before pandemic benefits expired. The Arby’s near me was soooo slow at times, I suspect they had only one worker that showed up for shift. So they’d close the dine-in part and do drive-thru only. Basically, made-to-order, one car at a time.

One evening, I really wanted one of their gyros (they are actually good). I pulled behind a car in the drive-thru lane where the guy in the car in front of me had fallen asleep at the speaker. I guess he’d been waiting a while!

Things have improved this year, people are back to work. Maybe the employment situation remains difficult for fast food chains in LA?

 

[imstilla.grandma]

Le was from Houston, Texas, where she worked at another Arby’s Restaurant. According to the lawsuit, she was only at the Louisiana location for a four-week assignment. Her four children, including Nguyen, are now suing Arby’s for negligence. They’re seeking at least $1 million in relief.

Also named as defendants are Turbo Restaurants and Sun Holdings, which own over a thousand franchise restaurants across twelve states, including Applebee’s, Arby’s, Burger King, Golden Corral, IHop and Papa Johns.

The lawsuit alleges the latch to the walk-in freezer that trapped Le had been broken since August 2022, and employees used a screwdriver to open and close it, as well as a box to prop it open. It also claims that employees showed the issue to a district manager when they personally visited the New Iberia location.

Company policy was to “keep the freezer at -10 degrees or colder,” according to the lawsuit.

The lawsuit alleges that Sun Holdings caused Le’s death by failing to have the freezer repaired and failing to adequately supervise the New Iberia location, and that Arby’s was “grossly negligent in failing to inspect and train the personnel” at the site.

Arby’s Sued After Manager Found Dead in Freezer

Attorney Paul SkrabanekA new lawsuit reveals the heartbreaking details surrounding an Arby’s manager who allegedly froze to death in the walk-in freezer of a Louisiana restaurant.The manager, Nguyet Le—a 63-year-old widow and mother-of-four—died on May 11 after becoming trapped in the...

www.yahoo.com

 

[ifindedout]

Similar story, but with more pictures. The knob pictured is almost exactly as I described upthread, except it was bare metal, not white.

Arby's manager found dead inside a freezer was trapped for six hours

An Arby's manager found frozen to death inside a walk-in freezer was inside for at least six hours in -10 degree conditions before police were called.

www.dailymail.co.uk

RIP Nguyet.

 

[arielilane]

Houston family sues Arby’s after 63-year-old woman ‘beat her hands bloody’ before dying in restaurant freezer

63-year-old Nguyet Le was temporarily working at the Arby’s when she died. Her son found her body in the restaurant’s freezer.

www.click2houston.com

Updated: June 1, 2023 at 9:55 AM

The children of a Houston woman who died in an Arby’s walk-in freezer earlier this month are suing the fast food restaurant and franchise owner, alleging her death could have been prevented.

Nguyet Le, 63, died May 11 at the Arby’s in New Iberia, Louisiana, where she was on a temporary general manager assignment. The duty was supposed to last four weeks but was extended by two weeks, according to the lawsuit filed in Harris County.

 

[imstilla.grandma]

A settlement was reached in August, Cook County court records show, but it has not been entered on the court docket because attorneys for Kenneka Jenkins’ mother have asked that the terms be sealed from the public, the Chicago Tribunereported.

A judge denied that request Tuesday but asked the mother’s attorney to resubmit the request. A status hearing is scheduled for next week in the case, which had been set for a trial starting Oct. 16, court records show.

Attorneys for Jenkins’ mother, Tereasa Martin, argued that the family’s safety and privacy trumped any reason to require that the records be publicly filed.

“The widespread publicity of this case, including uncontrolled speculation and social media commentary has resulted in various threats made against various individuals in the case,” including Martin, witnesses and the defendants, an attorney for Martin wrote in an unopposed motion to seal the settlement’s terms.

A Chicago woman died in a hotel freezer in 2017. Now her mother has reached a settlement

The mother of a 19-year-old Chicago woman who was found dead in 2017 in a freezer at a suburban hotel where she had attended a party has reached a settlement in her lawsuit over her daughter's death.

apnews.com

 

[LadyL]

Tragic
Poor lady

 

[lonewanderer]

Houston family sues Arby’s after 63-year-old woman ‘beat her hands bloody’ before dying in restaurant freezer

63-year-old Nguyet Le was temporarily working at the Arby’s when she died. Her son found her body in the restaurant’s freezer.

www.click2houston.com

Updated: June 1, 2023 at 9:55 AM

The children of a Houston woman who died in an Arby’s walk-in freezer earlier this month are suing the fast food restaurant and franchise owner, alleging her death could have been prevented.

Nguyet Le, 63, died May 11 at the Arby’s in New Iberia, Louisiana, where she was on a temporary general manager assignment. The duty was supposed to last four weeks but was extended by two weeks, according to the lawsuit filed in Harris County.

A settlement was reached in August, Cook County court records show, but it has not been entered on the court docket because attorneys for Kenneka Jenkins’ mother have asked that the terms be sealed from the public, the Chicago Tribunereported.

A judge denied that request Tuesday but asked the mother’s attorney to resubmit the request. A status hearing is scheduled for next week in the case, which had been set for a trial starting Oct. 16, court records show.

Attorneys for Jenkins’ mother, Tereasa Martin, argued that the family’s safety and privacy trumped any reason to require that the records be publicly filed.

“The widespread publicity of this case, including uncontrolled speculation and social media commentary has resulted in various threats made against various individuals in the case,” including Martin, witnesses and the defendants, an attorney for Martin wrote in an unopposed motion to seal the settlement’s terms.

A Chicago woman died in a hotel freezer in 2017. Now her mother has reached a settlement

The mother of a 19-year-old Chicago woman who was found dead in 2017 in a freezer at a suburban hotel where she had attended a party has reached a settlement in her lawsuit over her daughter's death.

apnews.com

The two cases have major core similarities, as the two women tragically passed inside industrial sized coolers.

Could Kenneka’s case have been prevented? Absolutely. Several of her so-called “friends” could have been much more responsible with how they handled themselves, and how they decided to handle Kenneka.

Kenneka’s story has a lot of frustrating bits, including the hotel owner giving resistance to her mother when she wanted to search for clues on the premises, and the area Kenneka wondered into could have also been secured and/or blocked off to prevent things like this from happening.

Two major differences I see, is that Le actively fought extremely hard to leave the freezer. She realized how much danger she was in.

Kenneka’s case has a lot of speculation, and a lot of that is based on why there wasn’t fight marks to get out. Some people think she was placed there, some people think she was simply too intoxicated and impaired to open the door.

As much as I wished both women could have survived, I think these cases can be compared to help bring closure to one another.