A 23-year-old former student with a peanut allergy died after eating a single slice of pizza from Deliveroo, according to his parents. James Atkinson passed away on July 10, 2020, after ordering a takeaway pizza via the Deliveroo app from Dadyal restaurant in Newcastle.
The graduate from Leeds, who had a known peanut allergy, may have suffered anaphylaxis after eating just one slice of pizza with his housemates, says the family. James' parents, Jill Atkinson, 58, and Stuart, 59, have pushed for an inquest into their son's death.
They say he was always "so careful" with his allergy. They are hoping it will help them to finally get answers about the circumstances surrounding their son's death.
On the Crowd Justice page the couple from Leeds said they believed he had eaten a single slice of pizza. They said: "He was eating dinner with a few of his flatmates in Newcastle where they lived. We didn’t even get to say goodbye before his heart stopped. He died alone, without his mum, dad and family with him."
More than two million people in the UK are living with a diagnosed food allergy. This number is on the rise.
The Atkinson family hope that by examining whether lessons could be learned in James’ death, other allergy sufferers can be better protected. Jill and Stuart are also hoping for changes in the way Deliveroo deals with allergen information - seeking an allergy tick box on the order form and details on the delivery boxes of what ingredients the foods contain.
A pre-inquest review hearing was being held on Tuesday at Newcastle Upon Tyne Corner’s Court, Civic Centre, Barras Bridge. The hearing was in-person only and was listed for one hour with a full inquest into James’ death currently listed for October 19 to 22 this year.
On the Crowd Justice page, the Atkinson family wrote: "James was a bright and bubbly character who lived life to the full. He loved sports especially rugby, cycling and running. He moved to Newcastle to study computer science and loved it so much he decided to stay. He loved spending time with his friends and brightened up any room.
"He was the life and soul of a party and went out of his way to make sure everyone was having a good time. James loved his time with family and looked forward to coming home to spend time with us all and having long walks with our dog.
"James will be forever missed by all his family and friends. We are determined to ensure a full and fearless inquest into James’ death and want to do all we can in his memory to help increase the protection for allergy sufferers in the UK.
"We have been told that a three-day Inquest into James’ death will be taking place on what would have been his 26th birthday. We should be celebrating his life on this day and instead we are going to be asking questions about what happened to him that night. We have no words to describe how painful this will be".
The family is being represented by Thomas Jervis, partner at law firm Leigh Day, which has represented families with similar allergen stories to James. To support the family, you can visit their crowd justice page here
A Deliveroo spokesperson previously told Chroniclelive : "This is a tragedy and our thoughts are with the family and friends of the young man who so sadly passed away. Deliveroo has been in contact with the police, who confirmed that the company has acted properly at all times, and continues to comply fully with this investigation.
"The company will co-operate in full with the coroner’s inquest and will share all information requested by the coroner. We are committed to doing all we possibly can to assist this investigation and our hearts go out to all those involved."
Dadyal has been contacted for further comment. However speaking in 2020 Gulfam Ulhaq, believed to have been the restaurant owner, told the BBC that Mr Atkinson's order was placed through Deliveroo and the website contained 'very clear' information regarding allergens and food hygiene.
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