In a surprising incident, a southern California heart specialist died after choking on a meal aboard a Qatar Airways flight from Los Angeles to Sri Lanka, allegedly after the airline failed to offer the vegetarian meal he had ordered. His household has now filed a wrongful demise lawsuit towards the airline, accusing it of negligence and failure to make an emergency touchdown, reported by Unbiased.
In response to the criticism filed by his son, 85-year-old Dr. Asoka Jayaweera, a strict vegetarian, boarded a Qatar Airways flight from Los Angeles Worldwide Airport to Colombo, Sri Lanka, with a stopover in Doha, on June 23, 2023. About two-and-a-half hours into the 15-and-a-half-hour journey, he requested the vegetarian meal he had pre-ordered.
Nonetheless, flight attendants reportedly informed him that no vegetarian meals have been left and handed him an everyday meal containing meat. In response to the lawsuit, crew members suggested Jayaweera to “eat round” the meat. Whereas making an attempt to take action, he started to choke.
Cabin crew members instantly tried to help him and contacted MedAire, a Phoenix-based firm that gives emergency medical steering to airways. Regardless of efforts to assist, Jayaweera’s oxygen saturation dropped to 69 p.c, far under the secure degree of 88 p.c. The lawsuit claimed that the pilot refused to make an emergency touchdown, telling Jayaweera’s journey companion that the plane was “over the Arctic Circle and about to cross the Arctic Ocean.” Nonetheless, his son, Surya Jayaweera, alleged that the flight was truly over the Midwestern United States on the time and will have simply diverted to a close-by airport.
Jayaweera reportedly misplaced consciousness a number of hours later. The flight didn’t land till it reached Edinburgh, Scotland, the place he was taken to a hospital. Medical doctors declared him useless on August 3, 2023, citing aspiration pneumonia, a lung an infection brought on by inhaling meals or liquid.
Household Seeks Compensation for Alleged Negligence
The lawsuit, first filed in California state court docket on July 31 and later moved to federal court docket on October 3, accused Qatar Airways of wrongful demise and negligence.It sought damages exceeding the compensation restrict set by the Montreal Conference, a global treaty governing airline legal responsibility. The treaty then capped payouts for in-flight deaths and accidents at about $175,000.
Qatar Airways presents 19 particular meal choices, together with seven vegetarian or vegan selections. The household argued that the airline failed to offer the meal that Dr. Jayaweera had particularly requested.
The airline has not but responded to requests for remark.