A mum who froze to death in a restaurant freezer "beat her hands bloody trying to escape", it has been claimed.
Nguyet Le, 63, from Louisiana, US, was working as a general manager at fast-food chain Arby's in New Iberia on May 11 when she became stuck inside the walk-in freezer.
It is unclear how long she was inside the walk-in freezer but the mum-of-four tragically died of hypothermia.
The temperature inside the freezer ranged from 5-20 degrees, according to her family's lawsuit.
Court documents stated Ms Lee had “collapsed into a fetal position face down on the frozen floor,” when she was found by her son, Nguyen, who also worked at the store.
The lawsuit filed by Ms Le's family said the the general manager was on a temporary assignment for the fast-food chain.
She normally worked in Houston's Arby's but had transferred at the company's request along with her son.
Her death is not being treated as suspicious with police believing the situation "seems like an accident."
Authorities are still awaiting the autopsy results before determining her death.
Other staff members at the Arby’s have been interviewed in the ongoing investigation - with the coroner still working to determine the official cause of death.
According to a former employee, the freezer on the door's latch had been broken for months and may have contributed to her becoming trapped.
Arby’s corporate communications team said in a statement: “We are aware of the incident that took place at our franchised location in New Iberia, LA.
"The franchisee is cooperating fully with local authorities as they conduct their investigation.
"Due to this being an active investigation, we defer any further comment to the police department.”
The tragic death comes after a man froze to death in police custody and was "likely put in a jail's freezer as punishment" for hours.
Anthony Mitchell, 33, died inside Walker County, Alabama, US jail on January 26 just two weeks after he was arrested for attempted murder and threatening to harm others.
The inmate, who was mentally ill, was seen in shocking CCTV footage being dragged and shoved into a police car.
Anthony's family have since launched a lawsuit against the police who have called it "one of the most appalling cases of jail abuse the country has seen".
Alabama Law Enforcement Agency are currently investigating the man's death.
