Doctor collapsed and died after Disney dinner staff insisted was allergen-free

27 February 2024 , 08:55

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Kanokporn Tangsuan died after a "severe allergic reaction", the lawsuit claims (Image: Vajiradhammapadip Temple Ltd./Facebook)

The heartbroken husband of a doctor who 'collapsed' and died due to an allergic reaction after Disney World dinner staff insisted her meal was allergen-free has launched a lawsuit against the company.

Kanokporn Tangsuan, a doctor at the prestigious Langone Hospital in Manhattan, New York, suffered severe breathing difficulties and felt sick on October 5 after eating at the Raglan Road Irish Pub and Restaurant. According to the lawsuit, she ordered broccoli and corn fritter, scallops, and onion rings after staff insisted they were able to make food allergen-free food.

She had made it clear to staff at the restaurant that she had nut and dairy allergies. The doctor had checked multiple times the meal would be safe.

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The doctor ate at the Raglan Road Irish Pub and Restaurant (Flickr)

However, the 42-year-old tragically died that night following a severe allergic reaction known as anaphylaxis, according to a medical examiner’s autopsy report cited in the complaint. Her husband, Jeffrey Piccolo, filed the 19-page lawsuit in Orange County, Florida, accusing Walt Disney Parks and Resorts of negligence.

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Dr Tangsuan, Jeffrey, and his mum went to the restaurant at Disney Springs, a Disney World shopping and dining complex, for dinner after believing the restaurant could accommodate her allergies, the lawsuit says. When the husband and wife asked whether specific items were allergen-free, the waiter responded that they would be made so if ordered.

They ordered dishes named "Sure I’m Frittered," "Scallop Forest," "This Shepherd Went Vegan" and "Onion Rings" and inquired about allergens "several more times" and were told "unequivocally" their food would be allergen-free, the complaint says. However, when some of the dishes arrived without "allergen-free flags," the couple inquired again, and the answer from their server was the same, the lawsuit claims.

Following the meal, at around 8pm, the group split up and Jeffrey went back to the couple's nearby hotel room, while Dr Tangsuan stayed at Disney Springs to go shopping. But at around 8.45pm, Tangsuan began having difficulty breathing, went into the nearby Planet Hollywood, and collapsed "while suffering from a severe acute allergic reaction to the food served at Raglan," according to the complaint

Jeffrey Piccolo, the hearbroken husband, has launched a lawsuit against the company (Jeffrey Piccolo/Facebook)

The doctor used her EpiPen in an attempt to stop her body's severe allergic response and a bystander dialed 911, and paramedics rushed Dr Tangsuan to a nearby hospital. Jeffrey, who was unaware of her wife's reaction, dialed her mobile phone when a bystander answered and told him about what had happened.

He went to the hospital, where staff members told him Dr Tangsuan had tragically died, the complaint says. According to the lawsuit, the autopsy found elevated levels of dairy and nuts in her system. The autopsy report said her manner of death was an accident

The complaint names the restaurant and Disney Parks and Resorts as defendants and alleges Disney “failed to educate, train and/or instruct its employees” to “make sure food indicated as allergen-free or requested to be made allergen free, was in fact free of allergens.” The grieving husband is now seeking more than £30,000 in damages.

Langone Health spokesperson Steve Ritea said they are "saddened" by the death of their doctor. "We are saddened by Dr. Tangsuan’s passing and our deepest condolences are with her family," he said.

Liam Buckler