Teen Dies After Eating Burrito With Sesame Despite Telling Restaurant He Is Allergic to It

Joe Dobson allergic reaction Playa del Carmen Burrito Teen Dies Of Allergic Reaction

By Joel Brussels , Parent Herald Oct 03, 11:46 am

Photo: (Photo : LUCAS TRIEB/AFP via Getty Images)

A teen died of an allergic reaction after eating a burrito that contained sesame while traveling to Mexico, despite repeatedly checking with the restaurant if the food was cooked with that ingredient, Yahoo reported.

Joe Dobson was hanging out with friends in the seaside resort of Playa del Carmen when they visited a restaurant on November 1 last year, an inquest heard.

The teen, who was allergic not only to sesame but also eggs, milk, and peanuts, ordered a vegetarian burrito for his meal. He asked the restaurant's staff multiple times in both English and Spanish whether there was any sesame in the burrito.

Dobson knew he had eaten sesame after just three bites

His friends told the inquest that Dobson knew he had eaten sesame after just three bites of the burrito. The restaurant staff, however, did not seem concerned about the 19-year-old's allergy and would not call an ambulance to help him.

Dobson had left his EpiPen at their apartment, but it was already too late when the friends returned and used it to treat him. Dobson fell unconscious and later died in the hospital, according to the Mirror.

In a statement read by the coroner at South London Coroner's Court in Croydon, the victim's friend Harriet Preston described how she was visiting Dobson while he was working in Mexico and was aware of the teen's medical condition.

She said they decided to eat at a fusion restaurant he had been to before after spending a day on the beach. Preston noted that Dobson ordered a vegetarian burrito and told the staff no sesame, using the Spanish word in relaying his instruction.

EpiPen shot came too late for Dobson

She added that after ordering, there was communication between Dobson and the restaurant staff to ensure there was no sesame in his meal. When the food arrived, however, it was sent back as Dobson believed the burrito contained sesame.

Preston said that Dobson tried to tell the staff in basic English that if he ate sesame, he would die. When the meal arrived for the second time, and Dobson examined and tasted the burrito, he knew the food had sesame in it.

Preston said that Dobson went to the bar staff, but they were in denial. He said he needed an ambulance as he could already feel it in his throat, but the staff was reluctant. She said the staff did not treat their situation like what it was, and there was no basic first aid or knowledge in the restaurant.

Dobson went to the apartment to get his EpiPen. One of his friends said he ran to the taxi, but the driver was very casual. He was walking slowly to the door as he did not understand Dobson's condition's severity.

The allergic reaction escalated when they got to the apartment, with Dobson falling over as they went straight to the lifts. The London native became increasingly unable to breathe and eventually lost consciousness.

Dobson was brought to a local hospital, but doctors could not revive him with the teen dying that evening. Coroner Mark Taylor said that Dobson acted unwittingly in eating the food with sesame which caused the fatal reaction. He added that this should not have happened to someone like Dobson.