The Las Vegas family awarded $ 29.5 million in case of an allergic reaction

LAS VEGAS (AP) – A jury has awarded $ 29.5 million to the family of a woman who suffered a brain injury after being treated by an ambulance service in Las Vegas for a serious allergic reaction in 2013.

Chantel Giacalone, then 27, went into anaphylactic shock after biting into a peanut butter-soaked pretzel while in Las Vegas for a convention, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported Friday.

Giacalone’s lawyer, Christian Morris, said she lost oxygen to her brain for several minutes after receiving treatment at MedicWest Ambulance, who ran the doctor’s station that day.

Morris argued in a civil suit that MedicWest Ambulance neglected to treat her allergic reaction.

He argued that neither of the two medics at the scene had received epinephrine that day IV, an adrenaline treatment for severe allergic reactions required by the Southern Nevada health district. According to testimony during a three-week trial period, the requirement has been set by a task force of which the company is a part.

Advertisement

Morris said the medics used intramuscular epinephrine instead, but IVs are required for complete anaphylaxis.

He argued that the drug’s cost was only $ 2.42. The lawsuit claimed more than $ 60 million in damages for medical expenses and emotional suffering.

MedicWest denied any wrongdoing, saying the result was inevitable because of Giacalone’s increased sensitivity to peanuts. Lawyer William Drury argued that Giacalone never lost consciousness.

‘In any case, my daughter is being taken care of. I am happy with that, ”said father Jack Giacalone after the verdict was read on Friday. “I am not happy with all the suffering we have been through over the past eight years. I just hope MedicWest changes their ways. “