Nationwide — Hannah Jacobs, a 13-year-old girl from London with severe allergies to dairy, fish, and eggs, tragically passed away after sipping hot chocolate at a local café. An inquest into her death is currently ongoing to determine the details surrounding the tragic incident.
Although her mother had requested the hot chocolates be made with soya milk to avoid dairy, the café worker, Urmi Akter, did not show her the allergy information book, as per café policy.
Akter testified that Hannah’s mother, Abimbola Duyile, asked for the jug to be washed due to the dairy allergy. Akter thought that washing the jug was sufficient and did not confirm if the drinks were completely dairy-free. Duyile reportedly responded that it was fine, assuming it was adequate.
The court heard that after drinking the hot chocolate, Hannah began to suffer severe symptoms, including chest pains, swollen lips, and itching.
Duyile then said that Hannah was rushed to a pharmacy. Despite a dentist offering an EpiPen, which could have been crucial, Duyile opted for an antihistamine instead. The pharmacist, Santokh Kahlon, noted that if he had known about the EpiPen, he would have used it.
Zeenat Panirwala, a customer at the pharmacy who was there at the time, described Duyile as being extremely distressed, blaming the coffee shop for the tragic outcome, and was “hysterical saying ‘she’s dead, she’s dead'”.
The inquest is ongoing, seeking to determine the full details of the events and whether the correct procedures were followed.
