Rat bites shopper, shopper sues store

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

In a suit filed this week in Common Pleas Court, Bernard King of Sharon Hill said he suffered "mental anxiety and anguish and severe shock to his entire nervous system" following a March 23 visit to the Dollar Tree store at 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 attorney Christian C. Thompson. "He actually had to shake the thing loose."

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

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

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

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

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

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

Thompson said his client had not regained full use of his finger and had "significant" post-traumatic stress disorder as 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 Dollar Tree in the hope of settling the matter out 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."

The suit 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," he said. "It's not brain surgery."