Woman Finds Human Finger After Biting Into Fast-Food Burger
Last week, a Bolivian woman claimed in a now-viral Facebook post that she found a severed human finger inside her fast-food hamburger. The restaurant was temporarily closed and fined in light of the "unfortunate incident," according to multiple reports.
In the September 12 Facebook post, Estefany Benitez shared that she and a friend were enjoying a meal at the Santa Cruz de la Sierra location of Hot Burger—a Bolivian fast-food chain—when she discovered that her meal contained a human finger.
Unfortunately, the gruesome discovery wasn't made until after she'd taken her first bite.
The post, which contains graphic photos and video from the incident, has received nearly 4,000 likes and more than 4,400 shares, while the videos have received a combined total of 119,000 views.
Benitez can be heard in one of the videos saying, "here we are at the magnificent Hot Burger where a finger ended up in my burger," according to a translation from the New York Post.
Another video shows Benitez bringing the discovery to the attention of an employee, who responds: "Please tell me what you want and we will give it to you...nothing like this has ever happened to us before."
Though the employees allegedly offered to close the restaurant, Benitez said in her Facebook post that they continued operating as though nothing had happened.
Benitez's post soon went viral and caught the attention of not only higher-ups within the company but government officials, as well.
A spokesperson for the chain referred to the situation as an "unfortunate incident," in a Friday statement and claimed that an employee lost part of his finger while preparing the meat, according to the Post. Local police confirmed the claim.
The Bolivian vice-minister for the defense of user and consumer rights temporarily closed and fined the branch. Whether or not Benitez will pursue legal action is unknown.
This isn't the first time a fast-food customer has found a severed finger in their order.
In 2012, a Michigan teen found a severed finger inside of his Arby's sandwich, NPR reported at the time. The restaurant also continued operating normally, despite the fact that an employee's finger had wound up inside a customer's meal, according to local news outlet Mlive.
In 2005, a woman claimed she found a finger in her Wendy's chili. After making national news, however, it was discovered the woman planted the appendage in her meal. She was later sentenced to jail on felony grand theft charges.
