An Arby’s manager was found frozen to death in a walk-in freezer that had sat there in -10 degrees Celsius for at least six hours before police were called.
The four children of 63-year-old widower Nguyet Le — one of whom also worked at the restaurant and found her frozen body — are suing Arby’s over the death of their mother at a Louisiana restaurant, claiming she “beat her hands bloody trying to escape.” . .
The widower and her son, both from Houston, were temporarily transferred to work at the restaurant in New Iberia, the lawsuit says, which also alleges that the freezer was broken and employees often had to open it with a screwdriver .
According to the lawsuit, Le entered the store just after 9 a.m. on May 11 to conduct opening work. Sometime between that time and the 10am arrival of the other staff, it got stuck in the freezer.
According to an initial report from the New Iberia Police Department and a statement from her attorney, her body was found around 6:20 p.m. The lawsuit simply states that she was discovered “after” 10 a.m.
An Arby’s manager who spent more than six hours in a walk-in freezer before police were called was a widower and mother of four
According to a lawsuit, Le panicked and bled out the freezer door in a desperate attempt to escape. Former employees said the door to the freezer (pictured) had been inoperable for months and had been reported to management
According to the National Weather Service, frostbite occurs within 30 minutes in temperatures as low as 10 degrees below zero. Hypothermia can soon become noticeable.
Warning signs of hypothermia include uncontrollable shaking, memory loss, disorientation, slurred speech, and drowsiness.
Before taking a position at Arby’s in New Iberia, Le worked at another Arby’s restaurant in Houston, Texas, as a general manager, the lawsuit says.
In February, her manager asked her to take a temporary job at the Arby’s in New Iberia, Louisiana, which the lawsuit said was supposed to last four weeks.
Her eldest son, Nguyen, lived with his mother and accompanied her on the mission, the lawsuit says. This internship was extended by months.
The New Iberia Police Department wrote the day after their discovery that they believe there was “no crime.”
“The preliminary medical examiner’s report states that hypothermia was the cause of death,” family attorney Paul Skrababeank told local broadcaster KATC.
“This is appalling and investigating officers found a lot of blood on the door so she must have struggled to get out before she collapsed.”
It’s unclear how many other employees were on duty with Le the day she was pinned down, or why the police weren’t called until the evening.
A statement from the New Iberia Police Department the day after Le’s death said they received a report of a dead body in the freezer at 6:19 p.m. on May 11
Le is pictured with her son Nguyen, who found her frozen body and traveled with her on the outreach from Houston, Texas to New Iberia, Louisiana
Pictured is Arby’s in New Iberia where her son’s body was found in the freezer. Originally she was only supposed to stay there for four weeks, but that was extended
The lawsuit, filed in a Texas court, also names Turbo Restaurants and Sun Holdings. They are based in Texas and own several Arby’s restaurants.
A former New Iberia Arby’s employee told Nguyen Le and his siblings that the latch on the restaurant’s walk-in freezer had been broken since August 2022, and employees used a screwdriver to open and close the door.
At other times, a crate of oil was used to hold the door open, according to the petition.
The family is seeking at least $1 million in damages. Her other three children are Tiffani, Nina and Trina.
They are seeking a trial by jury, seeking damages and relief for their death, past and future mental anguish, conscious pain and suffering, loss of support, and loss of love and affection, according to the complaint.
A spokesman for Arby’s told the Miami Herald in a May 26 statement that the New Iberia franchisee is “fully cooperating with local authorities as they conduct their investigation into the “tragic incident.”
Turbo Restaurants and Sun Holdings own over a thousand franchisees in 12 states under the Applebee’s, Arby’s, Burger King, Golden Corral, IHOP, McAlister’s, Papa Johns and Taco Buenos brands.