Deathly Meal
A man from New York is suing McDonalds because they caused him to have a severe allergic reaction. Twenty-eight-year-old Charles Olsen had placed an order at a McDonald’s in Rockland County, New York through Door Dash, a food delivery app. He stated that he had ordered this exact meal many times before and there was never a problem. He suffers from a very high allergic reaction to dairy.
Therefore, he always asks for his burgers to not contain cheese in them. “They had always made it without cheese when that had been requested in the past, so he thought this would be safe,” said his attorney, Jory Lange Jr.
Once he received his McDonald’s food order from the Door Dasher, he began eating it as always. However, immediately after a few bites he began to feel that something was seriously wrong. His throat began to itch and burn, and he felt he could not breathe. It did not take him long to realize that his burger contained cheese. His body was covered in hives almost instantly and he began gasping for air.
Olsen’s girlfriend rushed him to the hospital. His allergy is so severe that if he had not gone to the hospital as soon as he did, he might have not made it. Thankfully, doctors had stabilized him, and he got better.
No Comment from the Company
There has been no comment from the McDonald’s Corp. in regard to this incident. However, The Holley Group, who owns the McDonald’s Franchise in which this incident happened, said a few words on this topic. “Nothing is more important than the safety of our customers. We take every complaint seriously and are actively reviewing these claims.” The Door Dash worker who delivered the food had nothing to say about the incident. The food that Olsen ordered was the Big-Mac which consists of two burger patties, pickles, lettuce, cheese, tomatoes, and mayo.
At McDonald’s, people have the option to opt out of certain ingredients they may not like, or even make it plain. Olsen made sure to put “no cheese” option before getting his burger. However, there is not an option to give the reason why. His reason was not because he did not like it.
However, this is because he is highly allergic to cheese and could be fatal. “Allergies should be such a simple thing to be able to cater to as an establishment. There’s no reason why it can’t be clearly listed, options aren’t included when making an order to indicate allergies, and the staff properly trained to handle such a simple thing.
No one should have to fear for their health when they’re just trying to eat a meal.” said his other attorney, Scott Harford.
Lawsuit In Place
Olsen’s Attorney, Lange, said this was completely avoidable and it was a very traumatic experience for Olsen. While he has recovered physically, he now gets anxiety when it comes to ordering food from restaurants, especially McDonald’s, out of fear for this to happen again. The lawsuit accuses McDonald’s of not following through with their duty which is to make food that is safe for everyone to eat.
Olsen’s milk allergy should not be confused or compared to being lactose intolerant. Lactose intolerance is when a person consumes dairy, they get symptoms like stomachaches, nausea, and diarrhea. However, none of these symptoms can be deadly. On the other hand, being allergic to milk can cause the throat to close up, which will result in difficulty to breathe, and could be deadly. According to the Mayo Clinic, people with severe allergies like this should always carry an EpiPen because anything can happen.
Written by Erika Cano
Sources:
NBC News: Man with severe dairy allergy sues McDonald’s, alleging cheese on Big Mac caused anaphylactic reaction
Daily News: Man sues NYC McDonald’s for causing severe allergic reaction
AOL: NYC McDonald’s sued by man who claims Big Mac nearly killed him
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Inset Image Courtesy of matt Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
