US man sues Burger King over needles

A US soldier in Hawaii says he got something dangerous with his burger, fries and soda when he ordered a Burger King value meal.

Army Staff Sgt. Clark Bartholomew claims he was injured by needles when he bit into a Triple Stacker on December 1 from a Burger King located on Schofield Barracks, a sprawling Army base in central Oahu.

According to a lawsuit filed in US District Court in Honolulu this week, Bartholomew took the meal home and while eating the hamburger, he bit into the needle that pierced his tongue and made him bleed.

He was hospitalised and put on bed rest for six days after another needle was found lodged in his small intestine.

The lawsuit said Bartholomew suffered "severe physical injury, including injuries to his stomach, rectum and tongue" because of Burger King's negligence.

He also suffered "anxiety, fear, loss of sleep, extreme distress and lost wages."

A manager at a the Kolekole Avenue franchise where Bartholomew bought the value meal, declined to comment on Friday, and a spokesman for Miami-based Burger King Corp said he couldn't immediately comment.

The Army & Air Force Exchange Service, which owns the restaurant, is aware of the complaint and reviewing the matter, spokesman Judd Anstey said.

The exchange operates more than 3000 stores, restaurants and services on military installations nationwide and abroad.

The exchange is not a defendant in the lawsuit because Bartholomew is awaiting the outcome of his administrative claim with the government, according to a report by the Honolulu Star-Advertiser, which reported on the lawsuit Friday.

The lawsuit notes there have been previous injuries from foreign objects, including needles, in Burger King's hamburgers.

(Published by NZ Herald - October 15, 2011)