A mother from North Carolina is taking legal action against Qatar Airways, claiming that flight attendants disregarded allergy warnings and served her daughter a candy bar that contained dairy, leading to a serious allergic reaction.
The lawsuit, as reported, states that on April 9, 33-year-old Swetha Neelkonda was boarding a flight from Washington Dulles International Airport to Doha, Qatar, with her three-year-old daughter.
Neelkonda made it clear to the flight crew both before and during the flight about her daughter’s severe allergies to dairy and nuts, the complaint indicates.
According to the filing, when Neelkonda went to the restroom, she asked a female Qatari flight attendant to keep an eye on her child, reiterating the “potentially life-threatening allergies” her daughter had.
Upon returning, she was “shocked” to find that a flight attendant had given her daughter a snack that contained dairy, as stated in the lawsuit.
Neelkonda confronted the flight attendant, who allegedly responded with laughter and downplayed the situation, saying, “I know better than you,” which only heightened the mother’s concerns.
Not long after, the child experienced severe anaphylaxis; her mental state and vital signs rapidly declined, as noted in the lawsuit.
Neelkonda used an EpiPen on her daughter, but no announcements were made over the plane’s speakers, a serious breach of protocol according to the complaint.
Moreover, when Neelkonda sought to inform another passenger who she believed had witnessed the incident, a flight attendant told her it was against airline policy, as the lawsuit claims.
Once they landed, paramedics allowed her daughter to continue on a connecting flight to India. However, she suffered another severe reaction upon arrival and had to be admitted to the intensive care unit for two days of treatment.
The lawsuit is seeking $5 million from Qatar Airways for financial losses and the “extensive pain, suffering and mental anguish” experienced by the young child.
Bohler, Neelkonda’s attorney, emphasized that mothers should be able to trust flight attendants to care for their children, even for a brief moment. “It’s beyond bizarre and inexcusable,” he remarked.
As of now, Qatar Airways has not provided a comment regarding the situation.
