Suit: Roofer in anguish after rat attack

A trip to a variety store resulted in post traumatic stress disorder for a Delaware County man who says he was shopping for a ribbon when he was attacked by a rat.

In a suit filed this week in Philadelphia, Bernard King, of Sharon Hill, said he suffered "mental anxiety and anguish and severe shock to his entire nervous system" following a Mar. 23 visit to the Dollar Tree at the Penrose Plaza in Southwest Philadelphia.

King, a 50-year-old roofer, needed a ribbon to wrap a birthday present for his daughter, his attorney said.

He found an open box on display, spotted the color he wanted, and reached in.

He felt a sudden sharp pain in his right index finger.

"When he looked in, a rat was biting his finger and would not let go," said his attorney Christian C. Thompson. "He actually had to shake the thing loose."

When King peered into the box again he found a nest of rats inside, Thompson said.

A store manager and an assistant hurried down the aisle to investigate the commotion. The manager ordered the assistant to move another box adjacent to the nest, Thompson said.

Three rats jumped out at the assistant who then ran behind the manager to hide, Thompson said. He added another shopper witnessed the incident.

The manager told King to go to the hospital and send the bills to the Dollar Tree, Thompson said.

At Mercy Fitzgerald Hospital King was treated with antibiotics and his finger was bandaged.

A spokesman for the Dollar Tree, Timothy J. Reid, said the chain would not comment on a pending litigation.

Thompson said his client has not regained full use of his finger and has "significant" post traumatic stress disorder that was diagnosed by a psychiatrist. The suit says Thompson will not be able to return to work.

The attorney said he has not yet submitted the hospital bills, but had contacted the Dollar Tree in the hopes of settling the matter of court.

"They took a very dismissive and cavalier attitude to the whole thing," he said, "so I found it necessary to file a suit."

It seeks more than $50,000 in compensatory damages.

Thompson said the incident could have been prevented.

"You open the boxes and make sure they're safe to put on display. It's not brain surgery," he said. "You don't just open them up and play Russian roulette."