Food allergy kills 8 year old boy
An eight-year-old boy died in his father's arms after suffering an allergic reaction at a children's football tournament barbecue, an inquest heard.Arsenal fan Charlie Fidler was enjoying a kick-about with friends when he started to feel unwell. Charlie, who had suffered all his life with asthma, hay fever and allergies to eggs, milk, wheat and certain nuts, told his mother Nicole. She tried to help him with his asthma inhaler, but his condition quickly deteriorated.A frantic Mrs Fidler then injected her son in the leg with his adrenaline pen but he lost consciousness. He was taken first to Hemel Hempstead Hospital and then to Watford General, but was pronounced dead there. His parents had meticulously checked all the food Charlie ate, Hertfordshire coroner's court heard. What caused his death in June remains a mystery, but the coroner, Edward Thomas, said there may have been cross-contamination on the barbecue with marinated chicken brought by another parent to the event at Hemel Hempstead Cricket Club. The barbecue, which was also attended by a football team from Southern Italy, followed an award ceremony where Charlie, who had a younger brother and sister, was awarded a trophy for being the most-improved player for Hemel Town under-eights. In a statement read to the inquest, Mrs Fidler said that although her son's allergies were severe, the family, his teachers and his friends' parents were all so careful that he had never before had a really bad reaction.She said: “We are heartbroken and trying to find meaning in this tragedy.” She said another parent had brought marinated chicken which had been on the barbecue and might have caused cross-contamination.First aider Richard Metcalf, who coached the young teams with Charlie's father Jason, 38, ran to the kitchen to help when the boy collapsed at 8pm. He wept as he told the inquest: “Jason was on the floor holding Charlie in his arms, cradling him. Charlie had turned blue and his face was ashen.”Mr Metcalf drove the father and son to Hemel Hempstead Hospital, as other guests kept trying to summon an ambulance. At the urgent care centre Mr Metcalf continued trying to resuscitate Charlie, while a nurse practitioner gave the child air and a GP administered an adrenaline shot. It emerged at the hearing that paramedics had been unsure as to what had happened and where the club was because, it was claimed, they were receiving confusing instructions from the call centre. Paramedic Christine Davies told the inquest she had had no idea of the situation and had been trying to assess it. As soon as her team found Charlie they rushed him to Watford General.Pathologist Aiden O'Reilly said the cause of death was anaphylactic shock. The coroner said there was nothing anyone, including the emergency services, could have done to save Charlie. “It may be that there was some cross-contamination but I can't prove it,” he added. “Those at the scene did everything right. I don't think there was anything else that could have been done.”
Any guidance given in our articles is not official and Safer Food Scores can take no responsibility if the information is used to form part of any legal or regulatory compliance for your business. However, please do get in touch if you are interested in our support services and would like to benefit from official guidance relating to your particular circumstances, email [javascript protected email address]
