A woman’s family has filed a wrongful-death suit against Burger King following a freak accident three months ago involving a locked bathroom door that couldn’t be opened even by emergency crews. Shirley McCarthy’s family says there was no excuse for the “antiquated” bathroom setup or the employees’ foot-dragging at the Burger King on 82nd Street in Jackson Heights, Queens.
McCarthy was eating there back in September when she went into the restroom and started having a seizure. Her boyfriend heard screams and ran to help, but says the door handle broke off in his hand, effectively trapping McCarthy. He claims his repeated attempts to pry it open failed, that Burger King staff largely just stood around, and that firefighters ultimately resorted to hacking their way in with an ax. According to the family, doctors later pronounced McCarthy brain-dead, and they argue in the suit that if the bathroom doorknob had worked, she’d be “standing here today.”
