Owen Carey, 18, collapsed as he walked with his girlfriend after eating a burger with 5g of buttermilk at a branch of the restaurant in Greenwich, south east London
A teenager who died from an allergic reaction after eating grilled chicken at a Byron burger restaurant did not know it had been coated in buttermilk, an inquest heard.
Owen Carey, 18, collapsed while walking with his girlfriend in front of the London Eye an hour after he ate half a chicken burger which had been marinated with buttermilk in the Byron branch at The O2, the hearing was told.
A post mortem examination revealed the cause of death was “asthma exacerbation in the context of a severe food allergic reaction” – common in people who suffer a fatal anaphylactic shock, Southwark Coroner’s Court heard.
But an expert said that it was likely that Owen would have died even if he had an epipen with him.
Dr Robert John Boyle, a consultant paediatric analyst at St Mary’s Hospital, told the hearing: “There are very few things so powerful that they can take away a young life that quickly.
“We cannot be completely certain whether or not an epipen would have made a difference.
“I think, personally, that it would have been unlikely that an epipen would have made a difference. It sounds like he was extremely difficult to resuscitate.”
Earlier Southwark Assistant Coroner Briony Ballard, reading paramedic Anneliese Tien-Yin Wong ‘s statement, said security staff had lowered the bollards at the London Eye to give the ambulance access to the pedestrian area.
The paramedic said: “The patient was located on the pavement in a pedestrian area in front of the London Eye.
“There were three bystanders who identified themselves as doctors on scene.
“The patient was unresponsive, silent and not breathing and pulseless.”
The doctors continued to perform CPR and paramedics extracted 1.5 litres of vomit from Owen’s airways with a suction device, the inquest heard.
Owen’s girlfriend told them he had suffered an allergic reaction, and didn’t have his epipen.
The medics administered five shots of adrenaline and one of hydrocortisol for anaphylactic shock.
Ms Wong said there was a delay to administering the drugs due to “managing the chaotic nature of the crowds and bystanders around us” before Owen was rushed to nearby St Thomas’s Hospital.
Owen was rushed into A&E, but was pronounced dead shortly after arrival.
Aimee Leitner-Hopps, Byron’s head of food and compliance, denied any wrongdoing by the firm.
She defended its menus and staff training, saying all local authority inspections had been passed and a spot-check by independent consultants Food Alert the day before Owen’s death.
Ms Leitner-Hopps blamed an “assumption” being made when the order was made that the skinny chicken burger did not contain dairy products, and said the “green” marinade was “quite clear” on the chicken breast.
