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I made a horrifying discovery inside my Panda Express order and immediately went to the hospital - it could have been my last meal
A woman from Kent, Washington, is suing Panda Express after she swallowed a piece of wire she said she found in her food.
Miriam Yocupicio is taking the fast-food chain to court following the March 31 incident that occurred at her home after she purchased her meal at The Landing in Renton.
'I tried to swallow, but when I swallowed, I felt it, and I got really bad ear pain. I rushed myself to the hospital,' the mom of four told KIRO 7 News.
Yocupicio left her four young kids with her sister and rushed to the emergency room for an X-ray, which confirmed that there was an object in her throat.
'It could have been my last meal, and I just thank God it wasn’t, and I’m still here with my children,' she said.
Yocupicio believes the sharp, metal wire was a bristle from a grill brush.
Miriam Yocupicio of Kent, Washington, is suing Panda Express after she swallowed a metal wire that was in her chow mein at her house on March 31
Yocupicio, who's a mother-of-four, purchased her food at the Panda Express location in The Landing for her and her kids
According to FOX 13 Seattle, Yocupicio's children love the 'convenient' restaurant and she intended to share her March 31 Panda Express order with them.
Everything was seemingly normal right after the mom picked up her regular order: 'Rice, chow mein, chicken teriyaki, orange chicken, and two veggie egg rolls.'
Yocupicio then served the food to her sister and her kids, one of them just two years old.
All appeared to be going well until the frequent Panda Express customer took a second bite of her chow mein.
She drove herself to the emergency room, and a doctor discovered a two-inch-long wire lodged inside Yocupicio's throat.
'The doctor right away gave me… said, "Do want to see what was in your throat?" I’m like (nodding) and he gave me the wire, the piece of wire. It could've killed one of my kids,' she told KIRO 7 News.
She was forced to wait more than 10 hours to see a specialist despite the mom's breathing troubles.
'I try to stay with my mouth wide open, just so air could flow because I thought if I close my mouth and I can't breathe. Or if I swallow then I'm gonna get that one that sticks down my throat,' Yocupicio told FOX 13 Seattle.
After a failed first attempt of the wire removal, a specialist managed to take it out from Yocupicio's throat safely.
Yocupicio noticed something got stuck in her throat after she took a second bite of her chow mein. She immediately drove herself to the emergency room for an X-ray
It took more than 10 hours for a specialist to be able to remove the needle from Yocupicio's throat. The first attempt was a failure, but the second was successful
The victim left her four kids with her sister before she drove to the hospital. One of her children that was served Panda Express food is two years old
Yocupicio preserved the metal wire after the medical professional removed it.
Now, she and her California-based attorney, Roseann Torres, will be going up against Panda Restaurant Group, Inc. for the restaurant's alleged negligence.
Torres is seeking restitution for Yocupicio's troubles and wants the restaurant chain to be held accountable for the incident.
'This should never have happened, and it should never happen again... and going forward,' Torres told FOX 13 Seattle.
'In order to get Panda Corporation's attention we have asked for damages in our complaint that are punitive.'
Torres added that there have been other lawsuits made against Panda Express for incidents similar to Yocupicio's ordeal.
'In prior lawsuits, they were told by the court to eliminate the use of a brush that has those particular types of bristles because of the fact that it could break off easily and get into the food by mistake,' she said.
According to a Panda Express spokesperson, the company is 'unaware of any previous lawsuits against Panda involving these cleaning brushes.'
Yocupicio and her California-based attorney, Roseann Torres, will be going up against Panda Restaurant Group, Inc. for the restaurant's alleged negligence
Torres is looking for the restaurant chain to take responsibility for the incident and is also seeking restitution for Yocupicio
Despite her being a frequent Panda Express restaurant goer, Yocupicio has made it clear that she and her kids will not eat at one of its locations again in the future
'I think what was so jarring was when the doctor asked, "Do you have a will and testament?" No one should have to hear that after eating some fast food," Torres continued.
Yocupicio told KIRO 7 News that she does not plan to eat at Panda Express again soon.
'It could happen to me, it could happen to somebody else. That’s why I decided to reach out,” she said.
'Two bites could have killed me. Be careful wherever you go.'
'The health and safety of our guests is always our top priority, and we are committed to the highest standards of operations,' a Panda Express spokesperson wrote to Daily Mail.
'We are saddened to hear about this incident and are investigating further to fully understand the events that took place. All brushes used to clean our cooking surfaces are made of natural fibers.'
'As this is an active legal matter, we are not at liberty to comment further on the case at this time.'