Qatar Airways sued for $5 million after toddler anaphylaxis
A North Carolina mother, Swetha Neerukonda, has filed a lawsuit seeking US$5 million in damages against Qatar Airways after her three‑year‑old daughter allegedly suffered a life‑threatening allergic reaction during a flight.
According to the complaint, Neerukonda and her daughter were aboard a Qatar Airways flight on April 9 from Washington Dulles International Airport (Virginia, USA) to Doha, Qatar, with a connecting leg onward. The mother claims she repeatedly informed cabin crew of her daughter’s severe allergies to dairy and nuts.
While the mother was briefly away in the lavatory, the lawsuit states that she had asked a flight attendant to look after her daughter and reiterated the allergy warning. On returning, she says she discovered the attendant giving the child a candy bar (said to be a Kit Kat) containing dairy.
Shortly thereafter, the child began showing signs of anaphylaxis. Her oxygen levels reportedly dropped, her vital signs declined, and the mother administered an EpiPen while the cabin crew allegedly did not make a public address announcement or seek immediate medical assistance.
After the flight landed and the child was cleared by paramedics to continue, the lawsuit states she suffered a rebound allergic reaction at the next destination and was admitted to the intensive care unit for two days.
Neerukonda’s legal motion accuses the airline of negligence, stating that the crew “mocked” her concerns and failed to follow established emergency and allergy‑safety procedures. The lawsuit was filed October 31 in a U.S. federal court in Alexandria, Virginia.
Qatar Airways has not publicly commented on the lawsuit as of the latest reporting.
