Doctor Dies From Allergic Reaction After Raglan Road Meal at Disney Springs

[heynowirv]

You have to get a prescription or RX from a doctor. For us, we have good insurance, it's $20 for a set of 2 shots. Also, we typically have to buy 2, one for the school to have and one for us to have.

Last week, we were at a mexican resturant, where we asked for no cheese/queso on taco. First one comes out, cheese on it, second one comes out, cheese on the bottom of the tortila. I went into the kitchen and told them, if he eats cheese, he dies. The third one was delivered by the chef and was clear.

After the second one I would've walked out.

 

[Betty Rohrer]

Always look for the allergy stick when food comes out. And talk to a chef NOT just take a server's word that they will relay the information. Chefs are trained and take extra precautions...waitstaff is not (for the most part)

And yes even at Disney restaurants we've had servers that were very cavalier in their attitudes of "you really want to talk to a chef? Just trust me" Ummm yeah...we'll wait. That is one thing though you have to be willing to be patient and not wait...chefs are busy.

The restaurant they were at was at Disney but not owned by Disney. They did everything right but still had problems.

 

[Wood Nymph]

There really isn't any real defense to this honorable tragedy. I think they just need to settle it and not even try to defend it.

 

[DeeBee3]

But Epi-pens expire. That’s why my mom (allergic to bees/wasps, and sulfur based drugs) and I (anaphylactic reaction to penicillin) no longer carry them. It was too expensive to buy something that would just go bad in our purse.

Just so you know you can go online and get insurance coupons that get you them for free. Seriously. No reason to go without.
www.activatethecard.com

 

[DeeBee3]

This is so important I can't let this go - the epipens do expire, but it's usually after a year. I've had some filled that last for 18 months. It's just random what the pharmacy gets in the shipment.

I haven't thrown out 1 epipen. I used to pay full price $600 for 2 sticks. I then was told about the coupons and I got 4 epipens (the brand name) for free. Please check out your resources and ask the pharmacy as well.

If you have the type of allergy where you require an epipen, you need one with you at all times. My child needs them so whoever is with her always has it. Plus, the school has it full time. I also carry it in my purse and it does not go bad unless you were to leave it in your car in Arizona in the summer.

 

[kylenne]

Absolutely terrifying as someone with a life threatening nut allergy, especially in the wake of the Stew Leonard's incident with the young dancer who died from mislabeled cookies purchased there (always great to hear about a store you've shopped at).

Re: Epipens there is also an FDA approved generic that is available, it's still expensive but around $100 for a 2 pack is way better than the upwards of $300 and more for epipens. Death by anaphylaxis is considerably more expensive.

Edit: https://www.cvs.com/content/epipen-alternative

PLEASE keep yourselves and your allergy fam safe.

 

[TiggerTrigger]

I haven't gone through all of the posts, but I wasn't shocked when I heard that it was Raglan Road. The non-Disney owned restaurants have always been more of a question mark for allergic diners and I know several people that had issues at that specific restaurant. We've only eaten there once, and it was mainly because DD's allergies didn't appear to be a major concern with their menu.

As a parent of a child with severe food allergies, this is always a fear. We always travel with two epinephrine injectors as well as a traditional antihistamine. The introduction of the generic injector has made it easier to have more on hand, but it's still not cheap. I pay between $150-175 for a 2-pack of generic injectors. My insurance company refuses to cover the generic and the name-brand EpiPen even with their coverage costs me over $600 for a single 2-pack. So each year, I rely on GoodRX to show me who is selling the generic at the cheapest price as we always need 2-3 boxes. Most years it's CVS, but occasionally it's Walgreens. I have to check each time, because this past year, I think it was Walgreens that had their price jump to about $280. It's madness since it's a life saving med.

 

[3rd_time_the_charm]

DH has a shellfish allergy. He renews his epi annually. Actually, getting a renewal today - thanks for the reminder.

 

[3rd_time_the_charm]

I haven't gone through all of the posts, but I wasn't shocked when I heard that it was Raglan Road. The non-Disney owned restaurants have always been more of a question mark for allergic diners and I know several people that had issues at that specific restaurant. We've only eaten there once, and it was mainly because DD's allergies didn't appear to be a major concern with their menu.

As a parent of a child with severe food allergies, this is always a fear. We always travel with two epinephrine injectors as well as a traditional antihistamine. The introduction of the generic injector has made it easier to have more on hand, but it's still not cheap. I pay between $150-175 for a 2-pack of generic injectors. My insurance company refuses to cover the generic and the name-brand EpiPen even with their coverage costs me over $600 for a single 2-pack. So each year, I rely on GoodRX to show me who is selling the generic at the cheapest price as we always need 2-3 boxes. Most years it's CVS, but occasionally it's Walgreens. I have to check each time, because this past year, I think it was Walgreens that had their price jump to about $280. It's madness since it's a life saving med.

This makes me sad and appreciative of our coverage. Hugs to you as that is a big expense.

 

[iivye]

My husband is severely allergic to peanuts and also allergic to tree nuts. He generally knows with the first bite of something peanut contaminated but it isn't as severe with tree nuts and the reaction takes longer. He no longer carries an EpiPen since he can tell pretty quickly if food has peanuts and that is the most severe allergy. In the 25 years we've been together he's only had two episodes (tree nuts) and both were times when he was assured by the waiters that there were no nuts in his food. Now, he won't eat anything that looks like it could have pieces of nuts in it even if he is told it is nut-free.

 

[kc51570]

Yes, they expire, but I think they’ve added on at least an extra 6 months to the stated expiration date. And in the past if a pharmacist handed me one that expired in less than a year, I asked for an expiration further out. There are now generic epi pens and auvi-q. I just did a quick google search and it’s $109 at Walgreens for a generic epi pen set. 109 every eighteen months seems like a small price to pay for something that could save your life. And I realize many people cannot afford that, but my guess is people who may be paying thousands of dollars for a Disney trip can. I would also rather an epi pen go bad than actually having to use it or much worse needing to use it and not having one at all.

I do think they should be in first aid kits and provided for free. They provide narcan for free.

Very tragic for the doctor and her family especially at a destination and a restaurant that has been known to be safe for those with food allergies and even worse for the woman to be alone when the delayed reaction happened. We’ve eaten there with those same allergies. Knowing this, I will not ever go back or perhaps they become extra vigilant. I wonder if the family made an online reservation that has the “paper” trail noting the allergy which would make a settlement much easier. The testament from the family of a doctor vs. a lackadaisical wait staff member or cook should be more than enough though.

I do miss the days before the preprinted allergy menus when a manager and chef were automatic precautions at Disney.

 

[3rd_time_the_charm]

I don't think people who go to Disney should be held to a higher standard. Reasonable prices for anyone with severe allergies should be a given.

 

[kc51570]

I don't think people who go to Disney should be held to a higher standard. Reasonable prices for anyone with severe allergies should be a given.

Agree completely, my point was if you’re shelling out a ton of money for a Disney trip, you shouldn’t complain you can’t afford $109 every eighteen months for a medical necessity that could save your life. I also stated they should be free.

 

[weather_lady]

It's a horrible tragedy all the way around, and my heart goes out to this poor family who lost a loved one, and to the restaurant employees who will presumably be haunted by this for the rest of their lives.

As someone who has a loved one with some severe allergies (my husband, who's had a couple of close calls -- not from restaurants, interestingly enough, but from family members who just "forgot" about his allergies when they prepared a big holiday meal), this is the nightmare scenario that lingers in the back of my mind whenever we eat away from home.

 

[disneyseniors]

We went to disney when my grandson was young, and he had severe nut allergies. We told every chef at every restaurant we went to, and they always came out and talked with us and with him. They always went over the options with us and were very professional. Every time. I am so glad that Disney had that kind of standard, and I would think they have the same standards as before. My grandson hasn't been back since he was a teenager, but the restaurants at Disney went out of their way to help him.
I am so saddened about that senseless loss of life after eating at Raglan Road. I hope they close that restaurant down until they can assure that their kitchen is allergy free, and retrain their staff. Of course, that's wishful thinking.

 

[0FF TO NEVERLAND]

I can't help but think this would have never happened at a Disney park restaurant or resort. I know RR is not owned by Disney. Something went seriously wrong in that kitchen.

 

[Betsyp]

We went to disney when my grandson was young, and he had severe nut allergies. We told every chef at every restaurant we went to, and they always came out and talked with us and with him. They always went over the options with us and were very professional. Every time. I am so glad that Disney had that kind of standard, and I would think they have the same standards as before. My grandson hasn't been back since he was a teenager, but the restaurants at Disney went out of their way to help him.
I am so saddened about that senseless loss of life after eating at Raglan Road. I hope they close that restaurant down until they can assure that their kitchen is allergy free, and retrain their staff. Of course, that's wishful thinking.

I’m sick for the woman and her family…this is a situation that could and should have been avoided.

I don’t have food allergies, but I’m not sure if I should keep my reservation at RR - out of protest, and really because how can they be trusted?

 

[gottalovepluto]

There really isn't any real defense to this honorable tragedy. I think they just need to settle it and not even try to defend it.

Agree. Trying to stretch it out and battle with “we told you we’re not technically responsible anyway” is going to be news cycle after news cycle of bad publicity. Disney might not want to settle if they have a shot at getting dismissed as just the landlord- but it might not be so cut and dry if they get a percentage of sales or something. Ultimately it will probably lie with all the insurance companies involved how litigated this will get though.

 

[soniam]

I just hope restaurants don't give up and quit trying to accomodate people. I fear they might though, because it's probably easier and cheaper for them. It would suck to not be able to eat out! It's got to be scary for you folks with food allergies. Take care.

 

[kylenne]

It's a horrible tragedy all the way around, and my heart goes out to this poor family who lost a loved one, and to the restaurant employees who will presumably be haunted by this for the rest of their lives.

As someone who has a loved one with some severe allergies (my husband, who's had a couple of close calls -- not from restaurants, interestingly enough, but from family members who just "forgot" about his allergies when they prepared a big holiday meal), this is the nightmare scenario that lingers in the back of my mind whenever we eat away from home.

It's terrifying. My last close call was at a Baskin Robbins where I was subsequently blamed--I haven't eaten there since. I have already had high anxiety lately due to the Stew Leonard's incident and this shook me up so badly.

Life with food allergies is so rough, people unaffected just don't understand. It's such a struggle sometimes just to get people to take them seriously. One of the reasons we keep coming back to Disney is that it's one of the few places I feel safe. Obviously I never let my guard down entirely, but I've never been anywhere else as attentive about allergies except on Royal Caribbean cruises. The allergy stick part of the story is very troublesome to me because that never would have happened at a Disney restaurant. Even at the festival booths they can break down for you exactly what is in everything if you ask--I have to do this a lot with the proliferation of plant-based items because so many of them are unsafe for me. It's really making me think twice about eating at Disney Springs, even though we've had nothing but excellent experiences at Wine Bar George and the other third party places we've eaten at there.