Sports bar sued over toilet seat break

ALLENTOWN, Pa. - A New Jersey woman is suing a Pennsylvania sports bar and restaurant, saying she got stuck inside a toilet bowl for 20 minutes when the seat broke.

Kathleen Hewko of Delran Township says she was in the bathroom at Starters Pub in an Allentown suburb when the handicapped toilet seat she was sitting on cracked and dumped her into the bowl.

Hewko claims in the lawsuit filed in November in U.S. District Court in Allentown that she had hip surgery prior to the Nov. 19, 2006 incident and was re-injured when the seat broke.

Her Philadelphia attorney, John Cirrinicione, told the Allentown Morning Call that Hewko is not obese - she weighs 130 to 140 pounds.

The suit names Starters and Kohler Co., which made the toilet seat.

Representatives from both companies said they couldn't comment.