Dad died at Disney World after staff who saw him choke on steak called SECURITY instead of 911, lawsuit alleges
Kevin Duncan, of Ocala, Florida, tragically choked to death on a piece of steak after staffers at a Disney World restaurant called security instead of 911, a new lawsuit says.
A dedicated father tragically choked to death on a steak in front of his daughter at Disney World after restaurant staff called security instead of 911, according to a new lawsuit.
Kevin Duncan, of Ocala, Florida, was enjoying a trip with his daughter and her dance team at the resort in June when the harrowing incident unfolded.
The team, who were at the popular Orlando theme park for a dance competition, went out to eat at The Boathouse restaurant on June 8 around 7pm when Duncan started to choke on his steak entree, causing a 'blockage to his airway,' the lawsuit obtained by the Daily Mail read.
While both family and friends started doing the Heimlich maneuver on Duncan, restaurant staffers contacted security instead of 'promptly' dialing 911 for help, causing a 'critical delay' in the emergency care the 42-year-old needed, the legal document, filed on Tuesday, read.
Because of that, Duncan suffered hypoxia and radiopalmar arrest, the complaint stated.
The late father was placed on a ventilator that same day, but sadly died on June 9.
Now, the legal team defending Duncan's estate claims the restaurant, which is independently owned by Chicago-based Gibsons Restaurant Group and located at Disney Springs, failed to 'implement reasonable emergency response policies and training for choking incidents', and did not 'promptly summon EMS,' the lawsuit stated.
The wrongful death lawsuit against the eatery has demanded a jury trial and that his family is awarded $50,000 in damages.
Following his sudden death, his daughter's dance team shared a heartbreaking post on Facebook calling him one of their 'beloved dance dads'
Kevin Duncan, of Ocala, Florida, tragically choked to death on a piece of steak at The Boathouse restaurant in Disney Springs on June 8
Instead of calling 911, restaurant employees contacted security, according to a lawsuit filed on Tuesday (Pictured: The Boathouse Restaurant)
Following his sudden death, his daughter's dance team shared a heartbreaking post on Facebook calling him one of their 'beloved dance dads'.
'Our hearts are incredibly heavy as we mourn the sudden and tragic loss of one of our beloved dance dads, Kevin Duncan. His love, support, and presence meant so much to our studio family and will be deeply missed,' the company wrote alongside a loving photo of him with his daughter.
The dance company went on to promote a GoFundMe page that was created to help out his grieving family.