12 August 2024 , 20:47
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Hannah Jacobs died within hours of drinking a hot chocolate that was supposed to be made with soya milk in February 2022, a coroner is told. Her mother says she informed staff her daughter had a severe dairy allergy when ordering the drink.
A 13-year-old girl with a severe dairy allergy died after taking a sip of a Costa Coffee hot chocolate, an inquest has heard.
Hannah Jacobs, who had been allergic to dairy, fish and eggs since she was a toddler, died within hours of having a sip of the drink on 8 February 2022, East London Coroner’s Court was told.
Her mother Abimbola Duyile said she had ordered two takeaway hot chocolates with soya milk before taking the teenager to a dental appointment.
She said she informed the barista at the Costa branch in Barking, east London, that Hannah was severely allergic to cow’s milk.
In a statement, Ms Duyile told the inquest she requested the milk jug be cleaned, "to which they agreed".
After walking away with the drinks, the court heard Hannah took a sip of the drink on her way to the dentist and "abruptly got up and went to the toilet and shouted ’that was not soya milk’", while coughing up phlegm.
Ms Duyile said her daughter had an "immediate reaction" and rushed her to a chemist as she was complaining of chest pains, her "lips and mouth were very swollen and she was itchy".
Hannah, from Barking, then collapsed at the chemist, where she was given an EpiPen injection and a pharmacist tried to resuscitate her.
She was declared dead in hospital by 1pm, her family’s lawyers said.
Speaking to the court, Ms Duyile said "my initial response was of anger to the Costa Coffee staff - it gave way to terror," adding that she "made sure that the staff (were) aware that this was not a joke" while ordering the drinks.
She said she was being "extra picky" with the order to the extent that she "might sound like a crazy mum", but she needed "to be straight with the staff" about Hannah’s allergy.
"Hannah was busy telling me off for being so picky," she said, before noting that she felt the barista behind the counter "did not understand what I was saying, which is why I leaned forwards so that she could hear what I was saying".
The inquest continues.