A MAN ruptured his feeding tube and is suffering lifelong heart and lung problems after eating what he thought were boneless chicken wings.
Michael Berkheimer, 65, was at a restaurant with his wife Melissa and friends when he felt something stuck in his throat.
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Initially, he assumed it was a piece of meat that “went down the wrong way.”
But days later, Michael, who had eaten there many times before, began to feel feverish.
He was rushed to the hospital, where doctors discovered that a piece of wishbone measuring between 1.3 and 2 inches had punctured his esophagus, or food pipe, according to court documents.
This meant that everything he ate after that point fell directly into his chest cavity, causing a build-up of bacteria and a nasty infection.
Michael then suffered a heart attack and a collapsed lung, and was put into a coma twice.
He remained in hospital for two months and reportedly continues to battle lasting heart and lung damage, as well as psychological trauma.
Michael said Fox19: “I had a buildup of bacteria in my chest cavity the size of a softball placed in my heart. It just traumatized me.
“It took joy away from my family. Thank God for the Lord and my wife, otherwise I wouldn’t be here.”
Speaking with Cincinnati.comthe former hockey player and coach, who ordered his usual boneless chicken wings tossed with parmesan garlic sauce, added, “I’ll never be the same.”
Michael, who played the sport for more than 50 years and also worked as a manager at a local aircraft company repairing plane parts, said he was forced to retire in 2019 after trying to work at a reduced capacity.
The former athlete, who ate the wings on April 1, 2016, attempted to sue Wings on Brookwood in Hamilton, Ohio, its suppliers and the farm where the chicken was processed for negligence.
Michael claims the restaurant did not warn him that the wings might in fact contain bones.
Their attorney, Rob Stokar, said the judge dismissed the first lawsuit, but they appealed and the case eventually reached the Ohio Supreme Court.
Ruled 4-3 that the term “boneless wings” refers only to “style of cooking” and should not be interpreted literally.
‘UTTER JABBERWOCKY’
Writing for the majority, Judge Joseph T Deters said, “A restaurant reading ‘boneless wings’ on a menu would no more believe that the restaurant was justifying the absence of bones in the items than it would believe that the items were made from chicken wings, only how would a person who eats ‘chicken fingers’ know that it was not served with breading.”
But other justices disagreed, with one calling the majority opinion “completely blatant.”
Judge Michael P Donnelly wrote: “The question must be asked: Does anyone really believe that parents in this country who feed their young children boneless wings or chicken pieces or chicken nuggets or chicken fingers expect there to be bones in the chicken?
“Of course.
“When they read the word ‘boneless,’ they think it means ‘boneless,’ just like all sensible people.”
I don’t know how anyone with common sense can determine that something that says ‘boneless’ could contain a bone
Bill DeMora
The owners of Wings on Brookwood reportedly celebrated the ruling, saying they were happy the “frivolous lawsuit” was over. KBTX reports.
However, Ohio State Senator Bill DeMora said he plans to introduce legislation to ensure anyone in a similar situation can take their case to a jury – as Michael and Melissa wanted.
“It was outrageous. It lacked all common sense,” said the Democrat said about the decision.
“I don’t know how anyone with common sense or common knowledge or any kind of logic can determine that something that says ‘boneless’ can contain a bone.”
Melissa said, “We just [got to] try to spread the word so other people are aware that this could happen to them and maybe save a life.”
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What to do if someone is choking
Mild suffocation
If the airway is only partially blocked, the person will usually be able to talk, cry, cough, or breathe, and may be able to clear the obstruction on their own.
In adults:
- Encourage them to keep coughing
- Ask them to try to spit out the object
- Don’t put your fingers in their mouth
- If the cough doesn’t work, start coughing again.
In children:
- If you can see the object, try to remove it (but don’t poke blindly)
- Encouraging coughing
- Yell for help if coughing is ineffective or if the child is silent
- Use back blows if the child is still conscious but not coughing
Severe suffocation
In adults:
When choking is severe, the person cannot speak, cry, cough or breathe.
Without help, they will eventually fall unconscious, so you must land blows on their backs.
In children:
Back blows can be applied to children under one year of age.
If this does not work, chest compressions can be started in children up to 12 months of age and abdominal compressions in those over one year of age.
Call 999 if the blockage doesn’t come out after trying back thrusts and chest thrusts or abdominal thrusts.
Keep trying this cycle until help arrives.
Even if the object has come out, seek medical help. Part of the object may have been left behind or the patient may have been injured by the procedure.
Source: SNS
This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
