‘Allergy’ death of 18-year-old af ter a burger at Byron
A SCHOOLBOY died in his girlfriend’s arms after suffering a suspected allergic reaction to food at upmarket burger chain Byron.
Owen Carey was on a date to celebrate his 18th birthday when he collapsed.
He had been served a chicken burger at Byron and a grilled chicken dinner at McDonald’s that day. He was allergic to foods including spices, peanuts, wheat and dairy products but had never suffered an extreme reaction before.
An inquest into his death is to resume this week and one key issue is whether his burger at Byron in London’s O2 Arena contained buttermilk, which was not listed on the menu. The coroner for the hearing in Southwark had asked both chains to state their allergen policies but a McDonald’s spokesman told the Daily Mail last night that the firm was no longer considered an ‘interested party’ and had been released from further involvement in the inquest.
Mr Carey, who had been to a Star Wars exhibition at the O2 in April 2017, was on his way to the Sea Life Centre in central London when he suddenly collapsed into the arms of his girlfriend Martha Boddy.
He was rushed to nearby St Thomas’ Hospital but could not be revived. Postmortem tests confirmed he had suffered an anaphylactic reaction. The teenager, a prefect at The Skinners’ School in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, usually carried an anti-anaphylaxis EpiPen but had forgotten it that day.
His mother Moira, of Crowborough, East Sussex told the Sunday Times her son was ‘vibrant, full of laughter, music and love... we know that we will never be truly happy again as one so very loved has been taken from us’.
Owen’s father Paul Carey said of the fateful day his son died: ‘I was in Devon, and managed to get to the hospital
‘We can never be truly happy’
just before 10pm. My elder son, Daniel, was there too, and we were able to see Owen. I gave my baby boy lots of hugs and kisses. I held his cold hand. I shall miss him so very, very much.’
Simon Livingstone, representing Byron, has said the O2 branch’s head chef did not recall the events of that day.
The chain’s chief executive Simon Wilkinson said the firm sent its ‘deepest condolences’ to the family. He added: ‘We always take food allergies extremely seriously and have a comprehensive set of measures in place.’
The parents of Natasha Ednan-Laperouse, 15, who died from a reaction to sesame seeds in a Pret a Manger baguette in 2016, are supporting the Carey family.