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The husband of a New York doctor has filed a lawsuit alleging she died of an allergic reaction at Disney World and accusing the Florida resort and the restaurant where she dined of negligence.
The complaint alleges that on Oct. 5, the Raglan Road Irish Pub and Restaurant served Dr. Kanokporn Tangsuan food that contained allergens despite multiple assurances that it would be safe for allergy sufferers.
Tangsuan, 42, died that night of a severe allergic reaction known as anaphylaxis, according to a medical examiner’s autopsy report cited in the complaint, which was filed Thursday in Florida Circuit Court on behalf of her husband. , Jeffrey J. Piccolo.
Disney Parks and Resorts did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday.
Tangsuan, Piccolo and their mother went to the restaurant at Disney Springs, a Disney World shopping and dining complex, on Oct. 5 for dinner, the complaint says.
They chose to eat there believing the restaurant could accommodate their allergies, he says. The lawsuit says Disney and Raglan Road have said catering to people with allergies is a top priority and that customers can ask staff about specific ingredients.
The couple told their waiter that Tangsuan had severe allergies and could not consume foods with allergens. When they asked if specific items were allergen-free, the waiter responded that they would make them if requested, the complaint says.
The group ordered dishes called “I’m Surely Fried,” “Scallop Forest,” “This Shepherd Gone Vegan” and “Onion Rings,” he says. They asked about allergens “several more times” and were told “unequivocally” that their food would be allergen-free, the complaint says.
When some of the dishes arrived without “allergen-free flags,” the couple asked again and their waiter’s response was the same, she says.
After lunch, at approximately 8 p.m., the group divided up. Piccolo returned to the couple’s nearby hotel room and Tangsuan stayed at Disney Springs to go shopping, the document says.
Around 8:45 p.m. he began having difficulty breathing, entered a nearby restaurant and collapsed “while suffering a severe acute allergic reaction to the food served at Raglan,” the complaint says.
He used his EpiPen in an attempt to stop his body’s severe allergic response. A passerby called 911 and paramedics took Tangsuan to a hospital, the document says.
Piccolo, oblivious to the incident, dialed his cell phone, but a passerby answered and informed him of what happened. He went to the hospital, where staff members told him Tangsuan had died, according to the complaint.
According to the complaint, an autopsy found that he had elevated levels of dairy and nuts in his system. The autopsy report indicated that his death was an accident. He also noted that the tests were performed after his death and that their validity and significance “have not been established.”
The lawsuit, which names the restaurant and Disney Parks and Resorts as defendants, alleges multiple counts of negligence. He is asking for more than $50,000 in damages.
Nicholas F. DeBellis, an investigator for the plaintiff’s attorneys, said by email that although the defendants had not been served with the lawsuit and had not formally responded, their attorneys had been in touch.
Tangsuan was a doctor at NYU Langone Health, spokesman Steve Ritea said in an email Monday.
“We are saddened by the passing of Dr. Tangsuan and our deepest condolences go out to her family,” he said.
Tangsuan is survived by Piccolo. The couple hoped to have children, said DeBellis, the plaintiff’s investigator.