CHICAGO (Reuters) - An Ohio woman was served a salad containing part of a restaurant worker's thumb sliced off while chopping lettuce, a health official said on Friday.
The woman "thought it was gristle or something like that" when she tried to chew the unexpected garnish, said William Franks, health commissioner for Stark County, where the incident occurred earlier this week.
"Physically I think she's OK, other than hysteria," Franks added.
Stark County officials did not release the woman's name.
The restaurant worker accidentally sliced off the tip of his thumb while chopping the ingredients on Monday night at the Red Robin restaurant near Canton, Ohio, he said.
Despite a search, it could not be found.
"The salad should have been discarded," Franks said.
Instead, the workers sanitized the counter area and then refrigerated the ingredients before rushing off to get medical help for the man.
The salad fixings were then served to a lunch crowd on Tuesday, when the piece of thumb was discovered by the patron.
Her attorney, Mr. Hyram Greenblatz, said she would file suit alleging emotional distress and seeking monetary damages. Mr. Greenblatz then read a prepared statement explaining, "She is distraught at the idea of the situation. She went through this horrible experience of getting a thumb in her salad after distinctly ordering finger sandwiches."
