A Louisiana woman who died after she became trapped in the walk-in freezer of an Arby’s was a widowed mother of four on a temporary assignment for the fast food chain, according to a report.
Nguyet Le, 63, worked as an Arby’s general manager and was opening the eatery in New Iberia, La., about 30 minutes south of Lafayette, when she somehow became stuck inside the freezer on May 11 “and beat her hands bloody trying to escape or get someone’s attention,” her family said in a lawsuit filed this week.
Le normally worked in a Houston Arby’s but had relocated for a month at the company’s request, McClatchy News Service said. The assignment in Louisiana was then extended.
Foul play is not suspected in Le’s death, her lawyers said in a news release, which noted the temperature inside the freezer likely ranged from 5 to -20 degrees.
It’s unclear how long Le was inside the freezer before she was found. She died of hypothermia, and was in the freezer so long she “collapsed into a fetal position face down on the frozen floor,” the outlet said, citing court papers.
Le’s body was discovered by her son, Nguyen who also worked at Arby’s and had relocated to Louisiana with his mom.
A former employee told the family the freezer door’s latch had been broken for months, McClatchy reported.