A recent trip to the Dollar Tree proved far more expensive than a Philadelphia man expected when he was allegedly bitten by a furry critter hiding in the store’s shelves.

According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, the unfortunate shopper, Bernard King, was at the discount store shopping for ribbon to help him wrap his granddaughter’s birthday present. As he poked around the shelves he disturbed a rat hiding among the merchandise.

The rat, showing cold disregard for the kindness of King’s grandfatherly purchase, allegedly latched onto King’s right index finger when he put his hand in a box of ribbons on the shelf. This incident ultimately led to King’s recent filing of a personal injury lawsuit.

Offering a frighteningly detailed depiction of the incident, King’s attorney added that, in addition to the “nasty bite” King received, “the rat didn’t disengage right away.” Further, according to his attorney, King had to “shake it off.”

After the rat bit King, the unfortunate shopping adventure took an even stranger turn when two Dollar Tree employees immediately ran over to assist the bitten man.

When the employees attempted to move another ribbon box on the same shelf, three other rodents leapt at the well-intentioned workers. According to reports, the assistant employee ran behind the manager after seeing that an entire nest of rats had taken up residence in the ribbon box.

In his complaint, King alleges that the attack resulted in a loss of the full use of his index finger.

In addition, King claims that the rat attack caused him to experience post-traumatic stress disorder. Explaining his ailments, King stated that any “reasonable person would have grotesque memories of this event.”

Before filing suit, King attempted to settle the matter out of court, but reports indicate that Dollar Tree officials were skeptical of the seriousness of the claim and refused to reach any settlement.

As a result, King has filed a personal injury lawsuit against the store, which claims that Dollar Tree negligently allowed a rat colony to develop in its ribbon box, that the manager on duty refused to give King a copy of the incident report, and that the manager also failed to give a copy of the incident report to the proper local health authorities.

While the odds of being bitten by a rat at a discount store are extremely low, animal bites of all types occur quite frequently. Further, animal bites can often result in serious medical complications, which may result in significant time away from work or large medical expenses.

If you have been the victim of an animal attack, consider contacting a personal injury lawyer to learn more about your legal options. You may be entitled to seek damages as a result of your injury.