A 35-year-old female model and actress in the United States was involved in a performance in Las Vegas eight years ago when she accidentally ate a butterfly crisp containing peanut butter, causing severe allergic shock.
The paramedics gave her first aid because they didn’t have the adrenaline she needed, resulting in paralysis due to lack of oxygen to the brain. The model’s family filed a claim for compensation, and the Las Vegas court on Friday (9) awarded the family $29.5 million (about $230 million) for the medical department involved.
The incident occurred in February 2013, when the 27-year-old Giacalone (Chantel Giacalone) attended a fashion show during the same venue friend Retes (Tara Retes) bought her cheese and put a small piece of crisp on top. Giacalone was not aware that the pretzel contained peanut butter, and after taking a bite, she developed allergic symptoms, difficulty breathing, blackened face and severely swollen fingers.
Two paramedics from the medical service unit at the scene should have immediately injected epinephrine for Giacalone, but the intravenous epinephrine needed to deal with severe allergic reactions was not on hand, resulting in 11 minutes later Giacalone went into shock and was sent to the hospital with irreparable brain damage caused by lack of oxygen to the brain, and has been bedridden with quadriplegia for years, requiring family care. The family filed a claim for US$60 million (about HK$470 million) earlier, and the court ruled in favor of Giacalone’s family after a hearing that lasted three weeks.
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