Asoka Jayaweera was flying from Los Angeles to Sri Lanka on Aug 1, 2023. - ST FILE
SINGAPORE: A wrongful death lawsuit has been filed against Qatar Airways after a California man choked to death after allegedly being denied his requested vegetarian meal onboard a flight, reported UK newspaper The Independent.
Asoka Jayaweera was flying from Los Angeles to Sri Lanka on Aug 1, 2023 when the incident happened.
The “strict vegetarian” had requested a vegetarian meal, according to the lawsuit filed by Jayaweera’s son Surya and seen by The Independent, but was informed by a flight attendant that there was none left.
He was instead provided a regular meal and was instructed “to ‘eat around’ the meat”, the complaint said. While attempting to do so, Jayaweera began choking, the complaint states, without specifying what exactly he choked on.
Flight crew members called MedAire – a service based in Phoenix, Arizona that has aviation-trained emergency doctors who guide airline staff remotely in medical emergencies on flights – for assistance.
In its Oct 6 report, The Independent said that the complaint alleges the pilot was unable to make an emergency landing as the plane was “travelling over the Arctic Circle/Ocean”.
However, Surya Jayaweera, said in his complaint that the plane was over the state of Wisconsin in the US Midwest, not the Arctic Circle or Ocean, and could have been diverted.
The late Jayaweera, who was 85 years old, remained unconscious for over three-and-a-half hours until the plane touched down in Edinburgh, Scotland.
He was later taken to the hospital and died on Aug 3, 2023 of aspiration pneumonia, added the complaint. This is an infection caused by inhaling food or liquid into the lungs, rather than swallowing it.
The Independent said that neither Qatar Airways nor Jayaweera responded to requests for comments.
In October 2024, a Singapore Airlines flight was forced to make an emergency landing in October 2024 after a passenger suffered a severe shellfish allergy on board and had to be rushed to hospital.
Dr Doreen Benary, 41, a resident of Manhattan, was flying from Frankfurt to New York City when she “fell violently ill” after allegedly being served a meal containing shrimp.
The plane was diverted to Paris, France, where she underwent emergency medical treatment at two separate medical facilities. She later recovered. - The Straits Times/ANN
