Doctor's Fatal Allergic Reaction At Restaurant In Disney Springs Spurs Lawsuit, Husband Seeks $50K In Damages

A man has sued Walt Disney Parks and Resorts as well as Raglan Road Irish Pub & Restaurant after his wife, who was a family medicine doctor, died suddenly after eating at the restaurant, per CNN. The 19-page lawsuit alleges that the wait staff paid no attention to his wife's severe food allergies. As per the lawsuit, Dr. Kanokporn Tangsuan, 42, her husband, Jeffrey Piccolo, and her mother-in-law all decided to eat at Raglan Road in Disney Springs in October 2023.

The lawsuit mentions that Dr Tangsuan asked the waiter several times to make sure the food was allergen-free. It also said that the waiter "unequivocally assured them" that there would be no dairy or nuts in her meal. As a result, the family went on to order, Sure I’m Frittered, Scallop Forest, This Shepherd Went Vegan and Onion Rings.

The lawsuit says that the food didn't have the “allergen-free flags” in them and the waiter also guaranteed that there were no allergens in the meals. "When the waiter returned with Kanokporn Tangsuan’s food, some of the items did not have allergen-free flags in them and Kanokporn Tangsuan and Jeffrey Piccolo once again questioned the waiter who, once again, guaranteed the food being delivered to Kanokporn Tangsuan was allergen free," the lawsuit mentions. After the family finished their food, they continued shopping at Disney Springs for another 45 minutes. Then, Dr. Tangsuan suffered a severe reaction to the food while entering Planet Hollywood.

As per the lawsuit, Tangsuan injected herself with an EpiPen and was soon taken to the hospital. Her husband and mother later found out that she had passed away from her food allergies. The death was a result of anaphylaxis due to elevated levels of dairy and nuts in her system, the lawsuit stated.

Now, he is seeking over $50,000 in damages from both Raglan Road and Disney under Florida’s Wrongful Death Act. The lawsuit also alleges that Raglan Road failed to train its staff and mentioned several times how they had time and again warned the staff about her allergies. The lawsuit also claimed that Disney who in their advertisements makes it clear to the public that food allergies are a "top priority" in its parks and resorts failed to "educate, train and/or instruct its employees."

The court papers also stated that Disney had complete "control over the menu of food offered, the hiring and/or training of the wait staff, and the policies and procedures as it pertains to food allergies at Disney Springs restaurants."

Brian Denney, an attorney for Piccolo, says that his client 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," Denney said. "Jeff is bringing this case, in part, to prevent a tragedy like this from happening to another family."

"It’s very important to him that people are aware that people with severe allergies like this should be taken seriously. And he doesn’t want this to happen to anybody else’s family," he added. Tangsuan was a family medicine doctor in New York and was associated with hospitals like NYU Langone. Disney is yet to respond to the whole incident.