After his wife had some food, which led to her eventual death, a man is suing Walt Disney Parks and Resorts and Raglan Road Irish Pub & Restaurant. Jeffrey Piccolo, his wife Kanokporn Tangsuan (mostly called Amy), and his mother dined at Raglan Road Irish Pub in Disney Springs in October 2023.
The restaurant is a part of the Walt Disney World resort. According to the lawsuit, the waitstaff who attended to them was negligent and well aware of his wife’s severe food allergies.
They chose the restaurant, hoping it would have high standards and not serve her what she was allergic to. They also told the staff about her dairy and nuts allergy several times. The waiter then guaranteed them that they could make all the food allergen-free, and the couple confirmed “several more times.”
Therefore, they went ahead with her order. Amy ordered a vegan fritter, scallops, onion rings, and a vegan shepherd’s pie, the lawsuit said. When the waiter delivered the food without allergen-free flags, the couple worried that there was a mixup.
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However, the waitstaff guaranteed them once more that the food was allergen-free. After dinner, they shopped in the Disney Springs area to continue their tour. When they got to Planet Hollywood, she began “suffering from a severe acute allergic reaction.”
The lawsuit said that Amy “began having severe difficulty breathing and collapsed to the floor.” They quickly called 911 while she self-administered an Epi-Pen. Sadly, that was not enough to save Piccolo’s wife.
Amy eventually died from “anaphylaxis due to elevated levels of dairy and nuts in her system.” A medical examiner also confirmed her course of death after a brief investigation.
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Therefore, Piccolo is suing Disney under Florida’s Wrongful Death Act. This also includes damages for mental pain and suffering, loss of companionship and protection, loss of income, and medical and funeral expenses.
The aggrieved husband is seeking damages in excess of $50,000. The lawsuit also alleges negligence by Disney Parks and Resorts. This is because it has control over the restaurants and policies at Disney Springs.
His attorney, Brian Denney, said that his client is devastated and his wife’s life was cut short. Piccolo is “devastated over the premature death of his beloved wife. Amy had a long life in front of her, and she and Jeff had plans to start a family. This never should have happened.”
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He also said that his client is not just suing the company for himself but also to prevent something like this from happening again. “Jeff is bringing this case, in part, to prevent a tragedy like this from happening to another family,” he said.
Amy’s death was a huge loss for her loved ones and the community at large. At 42 years old, she was a family medicine doctor based in New York. According to several reports, she also had close associations with multiple hospitals, including NYU Langone. CNN has reached out to Disney for a comment but has not heard back yet.
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