Danny Howard filed a lawsuit against Olive Garden on March 8, after her mouth was burned by a hot stuffed mushroom in a Tarrant County, Texas, location.
According to the Tarrant County District Court filing, Howard visited the restaurant on August 11, 2018. She ordered the stuffed mushroom appetizer, but claims there was “no admonishment or warning” that the mushrooms “were particularly hot or carried the risk to cause severe burns.”
“Upon taking a bite out of one of the stuffed mushrooms, the mushroom immediately caused [Howard’s] mouth to begin burning,” read the statement. Howard allegedly then “frantically shuffled through the restaurant in need of help” eventually vomiting near the kitchen, and “in the course dislodged the burning mushroom.”
Howard then returned to her home before seeking medical attention at a local hospital. “[Howard] determined that the burns and her mouth would in fact require medical care,” it read. As her throat closed on the way to the hospital, Howard was “frantically” calling 911, “believing she was about to suffocate and that death was imminent.”
Howard was transported to Harris Methodist Hospital, then flown via Careflight to Parkland Hospital’s Burn Unit.
The statement concluded that “the stuffed mushrooms in question were defective and unsafe for their intended purposes at the time.” Howard will seek between $200,000 and $1 million in damages for the restaurant’s alleged negligence. CBS 11 DFW has reached out to Olive Garden for comment, but no response has been reported at the time of this writing.
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