Teh One Who Knocks
02-04-2014, 12:50 PM
By Alex Napoliello/NJ.com
The family of a Palisades Park 3-year-old is suing the Bronx Zoo after he suffered serious injuries from swallowing a souvenir penny distributed by the zoo last summer.
The penny was given to each member of the family as part of a promotional deal featuring a Dinosaur Safari exhibit, the New York Post reports.
An employee at the zoo handed the coin directly to 3-year-old Ethan Yi, who then swallowed the penny — imprinted with the words "Dinosaur Safari."
Ethan was rushed to an emergency medical clinic, where a doctor told the family it would come out a few days later.
Except that wasn't the case. He underwent surgery at the Hackensack University Hospital days later to remove the coin, the report said.
Family lawyer Howard Myerowitz told the Post that the jagged edge of the penny scraped and cut the inside of Ethan's stomach. The entire ordeal left the uninsured family with more than $50,000 in medical bills, he said.
The family is seeking unspecified damages from the Bronx Zoo and the Wildlife Conservation Society, the report said.
Ethan's mother, Kelly Yi, said there was no warning about the dangers of swallowing the coins.
The family of a Palisades Park 3-year-old is suing the Bronx Zoo after he suffered serious injuries from swallowing a souvenir penny distributed by the zoo last summer.
The penny was given to each member of the family as part of a promotional deal featuring a Dinosaur Safari exhibit, the New York Post reports.
An employee at the zoo handed the coin directly to 3-year-old Ethan Yi, who then swallowed the penny — imprinted with the words "Dinosaur Safari."
Ethan was rushed to an emergency medical clinic, where a doctor told the family it would come out a few days later.
Except that wasn't the case. He underwent surgery at the Hackensack University Hospital days later to remove the coin, the report said.
Family lawyer Howard Myerowitz told the Post that the jagged edge of the penny scraped and cut the inside of Ethan's stomach. The entire ordeal left the uninsured family with more than $50,000 in medical bills, he said.
The family is seeking unspecified damages from the Bronx Zoo and the Wildlife Conservation Society, the report said.
Ethan's mother, Kelly Yi, said there was no warning about the dangers of swallowing the coins.