Auckland restaurant meal may have caused deadly reaction

A 38-year-old food allergy sufferer died after a severe reaction apparently caused by something he ate or drank in a South Auckland restaurant, the Auckland coroner has found.

However, exactly what triggered the anaphylactic shock that resulted in Grant Freeman, of Stanmore Bay, suffering heart failure and brain damage, from which he died two days after the meal, remains a puzzle.

The most likely culprit is a tomato and salsa starter Mr Freeman was served instead of the oyster entree his colleagues had. The father of a six-month-old was allergic to fish, chicken, eggs and nuts.

An inquest today was told how Mr Freeman and co-workers from Chelsea Sugar, where he was marketing manager, were dining at Whitford Cafe on April 17, 2007, as part of a three-day sales conference.

The restaurant had been advised in advance that one of the party of about a dozen was allergic to certain foods. When the group arrived at the restaurant, Mr Freeman was identified as the person requiring a special meal.

The police summary of facts presented to the inquest said Mr Freeman took a bite of his starter, commented that it didn't taste right, and shortly after left the table for the toilets.

When kitchen hand Peter Yelavich heard a crash from the toilets, he went to investigate, and found Mr Freeman had collapsed. He was groaning and his lips turning blue, but Mr Yelavich said he was still breathing.

Restaurant owner and chef Susan Humphries took Mr Freeman's pulse and called an ambulance. Ambulance officers found he was in cardiac arrest, gave him an adrenaline injection and electric shocks to restart his heart, before taking him to Middlemore Hospital.

Dr Peter Dzendrowskyj, a Middlemore intensive care specialist, told the inquest when Mr Freeman arrived at the hospital he was deeply unconscious, had low blood pressure and swelling of the lips, tongue and mouth.

"Initial tests showed his body had been starved of oxygen for some considerable time," said Dr Dzendrowskyj. Further tests indicated he had suffered anaphylaxis.

The lack of oxygen had caused brain damage, and Mr Freeman didn't recover consciousness, dying on April 19.

No autopsy was carried out, a decision which Mr Freeman's widow, Barbara, tearfully queried at the inquest. If there had been a post mortem examination, it may have been possible to pinpoint the food Mr Freeman reacted to.

But Dr Dzendrowskyj said on the basis of what they knew of the case at the time, they did not feel the need to refer Mr Freeman's death to the coroner, a decision he now regretted.

Coroner Dr Murray Jamieson didn't learn of the death until a week after Mr Freeman fell ill and died.

Ms Humphries, who gave evidence at the inquest, could shed no light on what might have made Mr Freeman ill. She said restaurant staff were well aware of the foods he was allergic to and the starter he ate was prepared separately from the oysters the rest of his party were served.

"It was a tragedy and we live with it daily," Ms Humphries said.

Dr Penny Fitzharris, Auckland City Hospital immunology and allergy clinical director, told the inquest she thought the starter was the most likely trigger of Mr Freeman's reaction, although red wine refined with egg whites was another possible cause.

Allergy New Zealand head Penny Jorgensen also gave evidence, and said that Mr Freeman's death highlighted the lack of mandatory reporting of severe reactions to food. It was her organisation that led to Dr Jamieson learning of the fatality.

The coroner will release his written findings in mid-July.

- NZPA