Myrtle Beach festival worker severely burned by hot oil used for cooking, suit says
.JPG "Greek food is a major attraction to the St. John's annual Greek Festival.")
A worker at a Myrtle Beach festival claims he received third-degree burns after hot oil used for cooking spilled on several parts of his body.
Nektarios Gavrilis filed a lawsuit against St. John the Baptist Greek Orthodox Church and the Greek Parish of Myrtle Beach claiming negligence in its operation of food and cooking equipment during its annual Greek Festival.
A message left with the church for comment was not returned by publication.
Gavrilis said while working in the food tent during the four-day festival in October 2025, a table used to hold and support containers of “extremely hot frying oil” suddenly collapsed, causing the liquid to pour onto his body, the lawsuit said. Gavrilis received severe and painful, first-, second- and third-degree burns to numerous areas of his body, the suit said.
What’s in the lawsuit?
Gavrillis claims that the church, as well as its officers, directors and festival organizers, as well as those charged with overseeing the food preparation operations, were negligent in creating dangerous and unsafe conditions.
The lawsuit claims that the defendants had knowledge or were repeatedly placed on notice that the cooking setup used to support large quantities of “scalding” oil was unstable, inadequately secured and presented a risk. However, employees and festivalgoers were allowed to remain in the area, placing “revenue generation” above safety, the suit said.
Gavrillis is asking for a jury trial to determine actual punitive damages, which include medical expenses, court costs and disfigurement and scarring.
