A WOMAN who ate an ice cream laced with rusty metal nails has been awarded $14million after she was left unable to have children, according to court documents.
Brandy Buckley’s innocent visit to a drive-thru ice creamery turned into a nightmare after she took a chilling bite from the icy treat.
The Florida mum had made a special trip to Bruster’s Ice Cream shop in Palm Bay on September 11 2018, according to court documents.
Brandy ordered a butter pecan ice cream which she didn’t know had been contaminated with two nails and several small metal fragments, her attorneys said.
She unknowingly took a bite and swallowed the hidden horrors.
Brandy told local media that by the time she realised something was wrong, it was too late.
“When I did swallow, I did feel something in my throat that kind of got stuck,” Brandy said.
“I thought it was a pecan because it was a butter pecan ice cream that I had purchased.”
She was rushed into emergency surgery to remove the shards and nails from her stomach.
According to court documents, Brandy was left “severely, significantly and permanently injured” to her head, neck, body, limbs and nervous system.
She sustained a permanent loss of bodily functions and ongoing neurological damage, according to the filing.
Brandy and her husband Patrick claim the injuries she suffered robbed them the opportunity to conceive more children.
The couple were seeking damages exceeding $15,000 but a jury ultimately awarded $14 million in damages in light of the severity and permanence of her injuries.
She was also seeking compensation for expensive medical bills for hospitalisations, doctors and ongoing care, while also losing income and future earning potential, the lawsuit claims.
According to the complaint, Bruster’s stores use “Certified Ice Cream Makers” to mix and freeze proprietary dairy blends on-site daily.
Plaintiffs argued the process broke down catastrophically, allowing a dangerously contaminated product to reach a customer.
“The jury heard the evidence and rendered a verdict that was fair in light of the serious damages that were caused to my client by the incident,” Buckley’s attorney, Scott Alpizar, told The Post.