Woman Sues Airline for Serving Peanuts

Fox News ^ | June 03, 2008

[Baron OBeef Dip]

A Long Island woman has filed a lawsuit against American Airlines claiming the carrier endangered her 4-year-old son by serving peanuts on her flight, Newsday reported.

Tehmina Haque says she was assured several times that peanuts would not be served, but flight attendants changed the plan without notice during her April 18 flight to Los Angeles.

Her lawsuit claims she was “tense and fearful .. that her son would have an anaphylactic reaction while imprisoned 35,000 feet in the air,” according to Newsday.

An American Airlines spokesman would not comment on the lawsuit.

The carrier’s peanut allergy policy reads:

“American recognizes that some passengers are allergic to peanuts. Although we do not serve peanuts, we do serve other nut products and there may be trace elements of unspecified peanut ingredients, including peanut oils, in meal and snacks. We make no provisions to be peanut-free.

"Additionally, other customers may bring peanuts on board. Therefore, we cannot guarantee customers will not be exposed to peanuts during flight and strongly encourage customers to take all necessary medical precautions to prepare for the possibility of exposure.”

[Alouette]

I would predict that the probability of the airplane slamming into a mountain is greater than a child dropping dead from breathing a molecule of peanut air.

[MortMan]

Strip search all the passengers and check ‘em for nuts.

They could sve time and skip most R legislators - their jewels and spines are known MIA.

[HungarianGypsy]

It’s been said that Himilayan or siamese cats both have properties to their fur that make them non-allergen. I dont know if this is really true, since my cats are indoor cats. But I haven’t had any allergic reactions.

[HungarianGypsy]

When my first son was born the pediatrician in the hospital was an Indian woman who said that I was not to kiss my baby’s face. I thought there was a reason or a certain amount of time, but that was just what she believed.

[Ditter]

“Dander” is skin cells that flake off the cats body so shaving the hair won’t help. Bathing the cat and using moisturizer might help a little but I have bathed a cat and it’ not something you want to do very often.

[MEGoody]

“Her only other choice is never to allow her child on an airplane or in a restaurant or in a grocery store or in a school, or in an amusement park or out in public EVER, because, oh my God, there might be a trace of peanuts, peanut odor, peanut dust, picture of Mr. Peanut , and on and on and on.......”

It appears as though you think peanut allergies are amusing. I hope you or your children never develop one. If severe, they can kill you quickly, even if you are in the vicinity of a peanut.

[MEGoody]

It appears you think peanut allergies are funny. I hope you and your children or grandchildren never suffer a severe peanut allergy. You can die pretty quickly just by being in the vicinity of peanuts.

[MEGoody]

That's a fact not in evidence. The Fox article simply reports that the mother has claimed that in her suit.

But if that is, indeed, what happened, what else would you have her do?

[MEGoody]

Can’t help it if the kid is allergic as the mother claims.

I agree. But if, as the mother claims, she asked the attendants if they were going to serve peanuts and they said no, then did it anyway, to not have served peanuts wouldn't have been an accommodation to the child. Not serving them was already planned.

Personally, if this proves to be true, the attendants should be fired. I'm not hot on suing the airline, but the attendants were negligent and could have caused the child to die (again, assuming what the mother says about his allergy is true).

Even if what the mother says about the child's allergy isn't true, the attendants wouldn't have known that. Since they told her they weren't going to serve peanuts, and it appears she informed them the child was allergic, they shouldn't have served them.

[True Republican Patriot]

You seem quite inveted in this “PEANUT PARANOIA!” You misstated or deliberately attacked accusing me of treating it as funny. I didn’t for your information, I believe it is Ridiculous and Blown out of all Proportion for a Delusional Few, obviously including You. My prayers to you and yours if you have lost someone dear to the MAD PEANUT or its mere presense. Auf Wiedersehen!

[True Republican Patriot]

Correction:

“Invested”

[True Republican Patriot]

AMEN!! Have ALL Passengers sign a release to the airlines recognizing the inherent DANGERS OF FLYING and the POSSIBLE/PROBABLE LOSS OF THEIR LIVES FORGOING ALL Possibilites of Legal Suit! especially due to “KILLER PEANUTS!!!”

[scallali]

It is not paranoia. We discovered my son's allergy to peanuts when he was three. After getting a very small amount of peanut butter on his finger during a project in pre-school, his teacher thoroughly washed his hands. An hour later he was on his way to the doctor. By the time he got there he was completely swollen, required two doses of epinephrine, and literally almost died because his airway was almost swollen closed. It wasn't until after skin testing that the diagnosis was official, severe, life-threatening peanut allergy. The first day of school was terrifying for me, but the administration, nurse, and teachers have been wonderful! Flying is scary, but certain airlines are very supportive. They simply make an announcement before boarding and during the pre-flight security instructions asking passengers to refrain from consuming peanuts due to a passenger with a life-threatening peanut allergy. I, as his mother, take other precautions. I carry sanitizer and tons of wipes and wipe down the entire area before he touches anything and seat him by the window so that I am between him and any other passengers. We obviously do not fly airlines that do serve peanuts. We are scheduled to fly American later this month and they specifically told me that they could not guarantee a peanut free flight, but changed me to an early morning flight because their morning snack contains no nuts or nut products. They also said that they would make note so that the attendants would be aware that there was a passenger with a severe peanut allergy on board. I understand that they are not making any guarantees, but appreciate their willingness to work with me to keep my son safe.

[MEGoody]

You misstated or deliberately attacked accusing me of treating it as funny.

In your post 65, you said "Yep!!! Come on, peanuts, now there is a REAL Weapon of Mass Destruction!"

If you are trying to claim that you aren't being sarcastic, are you saying you believe peanuts truly are a weapon of mass destruction?

No, of course not. You were being sarcastic, which means you are making light of peanut allergies. I misstated nothing.

I believe it is Ridiculous and Blown out of all Proportion for a Delusional Few

You can believe what you want, but there are children who can have a serious reaction to even being in the vicinity of a peanut. I'm not saying that is true of this particular child. But it does occur.

My prayers to you and yours if you have lost someone dear to the MAD PEANUT or its mere presense.

Thankfully, I haven't had a family member die because of a peanut allergy. But I personally know of one acquaintance who did lose a child that way. They had no idea he had such an allergy until he died. Apparently, it's a 'phrase' thing that kids can go into and grow out of.

My prayers to you and yours that you nor any of your family members will ever die because of the MAD PEANUT, as you call it.

[HamiltonJay]

If he’s that allergic she should have his epi pen with her. I understand her anxiety, but the reality is your child has an allergy the world is not going to stop for it.

[True Republican Patriot]

Gosh, what a dither over some MAD PEANUTs!
Have a Great day!
I am off on an American Flight today after being assured Extra Mad Peanuts would be served on each leg of the Flight. I LOVE Peanuts, probably almost as much as that Mad Peanut farmer, Jimmuh Carter!
P.S. Dont go to any Lone Star Steak Houses, their floors are usually covered with peanut shells as the peanuts are eagerly consumed by the eager patrons.
P.S.S. Is it True that Obama has promised to BAN all Mad Peanuts as Weapons of Mass Destruction if Elected in November?

[MEGoody]

I am off on an American Flight today after being assured Extra Mad Peanuts would be served on each leg of the Flight.

Have fun.

By the way, I hope they didn't assure you that they weren't serving something you are deathly allergic to. After all, you can't be sure they are telling you the truth.

[True Republican Patriot]

YEP! I made them promise We would stay on the Ground as I am deathly afraid of heights which is a minor problem, what with being a Pilot anyway!
Seriously though, flying so closely packed together in a contained air space with so many people, not a small number of which are bonkers crazy(liberals by definition), everyone should count their Blessings when they land Safe and haven’t caught a strange lethal disease or otherwise encountered some threat to their well being.
Flying Air China(Mainland), everything was a threat from the terrible abilities of the so-called Pilots to the “First Class” meals that guaranteed intestinal failures and new parasites yet to be identified . Every flight was an Uncontrolled Crash!
People with severe allergies should fly First Class, while more costly, the specialized attention and greater personal space are worth every penny.
By the way, I believe in Murphy’s Law and hence wouldn’t trust another’s word if I was deathly allergic to something like the lack of oxygen or water or worse, a French Pilot in the cockpit.

[LukeL]

Only a very small percentage of people with peanut allergies will get the severe anaphylactic reaction. I am allergic to rodents. (yes even DemocRATS) so when I go into a pet store I make sure to make my trips very brief and not linger around the hamsters and gerbils.

If this kid was really that bad when it came to nuts, she should have had an epipen handy and had the kid on allergy shots.

[Eric Blair 2084]

Et tu Brute. You got me on that one.