Woman chokes and is taken to hospital after swallowing metal screw in work snack
A woman has claimed that she swallowed a metal screw that was hidden inside a snack at her workplace.
Mónica Navarrete, who was working the night shift for fruit exporters Frusan, in Chile, is seeking compensation from her former bosses.
Company bosses provided some snacks for their workers, including chicken and vegetables, and Mónica decided to just eat the bread on the table.
She said she immediately started choking and felt something hard scraping down her throat. She explained: “A colleague helped me when I ran out of breath.
“I was choking and then I felt something scrape down my throat.
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“At work, they told me to call home and see if someone could pick me up.
“After a lot of complaining, they took me to hospital and they didn’t even drop me at the entrance – I had to walk two blocks.”
She eventually arrived at the nearby hospital in Angol, Araucanía Region, and an X-ray detected the presence of a one-inch screw that had already passed through her stomach and was in her colon.
As well as suffering in pain in hospital, Mónica claims she was let go by her bosses the following day.
The X-ray of Mónica's body clearly shows the screw stuck inside her (Jam Press)She was able to naturally pass the metal object after several days of severe discomfort in hospital.
Following her experience, Mónica has decided to take legal action against the company.
Labour lawyer Christian Dulansky said: “The worker did not have timely access to the work accident protocol and the company did not make sure that the food delivered complied with health and safety requirements.
“The supervisors also refused to take my client to the Chilean Safety Association clinic, which is what should happen when an accident occurs at work.
“Mónica found out she had swallowed a screw several hours later when doctors at the Angol hospital took X-rays and found the object, so they referred her to the ACHS clinic where they continued to observe the patient.
“We have filed a complaint with the Health Department of Araucanía explaining all this.”
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The lawyer added: “We hope justice is served and that this worker is compensated for all the inconvenience she has suffered.”
Mónica has since started a new job and is waiting for the court to rule on her case against her former employer.
Frusan has yet to release a statement about the incident, but they are understood to be carrying out an internal investigation.
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