PITTSBURGH – A Pittsburgh woman who claims to have been burned and permanently scarred as a result of an exploding turkey burger has sued the supermarket chain that allegedly sold her the meat in question.
Gloria Besley of Pittsburgh filed suit in the Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas on Jan. 25 versus Aldi, Inc. of Batavia, Ill.
In her litigation, Besley explained she purchased Kirkwood-brand turkey burgers from an Aldi supermarket in Pittsburgh last July and brought them home to prepare at a later date.
“On or about Aug. 19, 2018, plaintiff removed the subject turkey burgers from her freezer and followed the ‘to fry’ instructions on the packaging, which provided as follows: ‘Preheat skillet on medium heat. Cook frozen burgers in a small amount of vegetable oil 7-9 minutes per side,'" the suit states.
“Plaintiff precisely followed these instructions, and soon after placing one of the frozen turkey burgers in a small amount of vegetable oil, the burger exploded, causing plaintiff to suffer second-degree burns to both hands and forearms, and associated permanent scarring.”
Besley claims Aldi placed a defective and unsafe product into the stream of commerce, failed to warn of the dangers of the product and failed to provide proper safety and operational instructions to end users, among other forms of negligence-related liability.
“As a further result of the aforesaid strict liability of defendant, plaintiff has or may have suffered injuries resulting in the serious and/or permanent loss of use of a bodily function, dismemberment, and/or scarring, which may be in full or part cosmetic disfigurements which are or may be permanent, irreparable and severe,” according to the lawsuit.
“As a further result of the aforesaid accident, plaintiff has suffered a loss of the enjoyment of her usual duties, avocations, life’s pleasures and activities, and the shortening of her life expectancy, all to her great detriment and loss.”
For counts of strict liability, negligence and breach of warranty, the plaintiff is seeking damages in excess of $35,000, as well as any such other relief as the court deems adequate, just and proper.
The plaintiff is represented by Anthony J. Giannetti of Swartz Culleton, in Pittsburgh.
The defendant has not yet secured legal counsel, according to court records.
Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas case GD-19-001306
From the Pennsylvania Record: Reach Courts Reporter Nicholas Malfitano at nick.malfitano@therecordinc.com