Woman claims vocal cords damaged by foreign object in salad

GALVESTON � After she allegedly swallowed a foreign object while eating at a Saltgrass Steakhouse restaurant in Webster, Deborah E. Marsh of League City seeks legal action against the eatery.

Marsh claims she unknowingly consumed a "sharp-pointed" wooden skewer that was embedded in a steak salad she ordered, a lawsuit filed April 6 in Galveston County District Court says.

According to the original petition, the plaintiff, who was dining with a friend at the defendant's establishment on Oct. 3, 2009, worked on one-third of the salad when the incident in question occurred.

"The skewer punctuated and/or became embedded in her tissue and has caused a permanent impairment to the plaintiff's voice and vocal cords," it says.

Marsh contends that the defendant's employees were negligent for placing a foreign object and not assuring that foreign objects were not allowed to enter the food served to the plaintiff, adding Saltgrass failed and refused to promulgate, implement and enforce policies and procedures reasonably calculated to keep food safe.

"The defendant is strictly liable for serving food to the plaintiff which was contaminated by a dangerous foreign object," the suit says.

Consequently, Marsh sues for physical impairment and medical expenses.

She is represented by attorney Sarnie A. Randle of Houston.

The case has been assigned to Galveston County 56th District Court Judge Lonnie Cox.

Case No. 11-cv-0581