Doctor Sues Singapore Airlines After In-Flight Shellfish Allergy Crisis

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Doctor sues Singapore Airlines after being served shrimp despite warning flight crew about her severe shellfish allergy.

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Dr. Doreen Benary, a 41-year-old pediatric emergency physician, was flying business class from Frankfurt to New York when her routine journey turned into a medical nightmare.

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Despite clearly informing the cabin crew about her life-threatening shellfish allergy before takeoff, a flight attendant served her a meal containing hidden shrimp.

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The moment she took a bite, Benary knew something was wrong—when she questioned the crew member, they admitted the mistake and apologized, but it was already too late.

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Benary's condition deteriorated rapidly at 30,000 feet, forcing Singapore Airlines flight SQ26 to make an emergency landing in Paris on October 8, 2024.

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After landing, Benary was rushed by ambulance to two separate medical facilities for what her lawsuit describes as "painful emergency treatment."

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What should have been a routine 8-hour flight turned into a life-threatening ordeal that's now heading to court with a lawsuit filed on June 17, 2025.

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This isn't Singapore Airlines' first encounter with severe allergic reactions—in 2017, a three-year-old suffered a reaction when other passengers were served peanuts, leading the airline to ban peanuts in 2018.

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While Singapore Airlines offers special allergen-free meals with 48-hour notice, they admit they "cannot guarantee an allergen-free environment on board."

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The lawsuit cites the Montreal Convention, which could make the airline liable for up to $214,000 in damages for failing in their duty of care.

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Food allergy advocates are pushing for all airlines to carry EpiPens, not just epinephrine vials that require medical training to administer.

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For millions of travelers with food allergies, this case highlights the potentially deadly risks they face when flying—could this lawsuit change how airlines handle food allergies worldwide?

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