Told To ‘Eat Around The Meat,’ Vegetarian Passenger Chokes To Death On Qatar Airways Flight: What Went Wrong?

An 85-year-old retired cardiologist from Southern California died mid-flight after choking on a non-vegetarian meal served to him despite having pre-ordered a vegetarian option. The incident took place aboard a Qatar Airways flight from Los Angeles to Colombo on June 30, 2023.

According to a report by The Independent, Dr Asoka Jayaweera had requested a vegetarian meal for the 15.5-hour journey. However, when meal service began, a flight attendant reportedly told him that no vegetarian meals were available and handed him a regular non-vegetarian meal instead. The attendant allegedly advised him to “eat around” the meat.

While attempting to do so, Dr Jayaweera began choking and soon lost consciousness. The cabin crew tried to assist him and consulted remote medical professionals from MedAire, but his condition deteriorated rapidly.

The flight made an emergency landing in Edinburgh, Scotland, where he was taken to a hospital. Despite treatment, he died on August 3, 2023, from aspiration pneumonia, which is a lung infection caused by accidentally inhaling food or liquid.

His son, Surya Jayaweera, has now filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Qatar Airways in the United States, accusing the airline of negligence. The lawsuit claims the airline failed to honour his father’s meal request and did not respond appropriately to his medical emergency. Surya is seeking $128,821 in damages, according to the report.

The complaint also cites the Montreal Convention, a global treaty that outlines airline liability in cases of onboard injury or death. It notes that both Qatar and the United States are signatories to the treaty, which allows passengers’ families to claim compensation up to about $175,000 for deaths resulting from accidents on international flights.

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