A dad has spoken of his shock after his seven-year-old son went into anaphylactic shock on holiday after eating a plate of chips.
Caleb was staying at Haven Holiday Park in Burnham-on-Sea, Somerset, with his parents and sister, and immediately started to swell up when he ate the chips. The allergic reaction left him needing an immediate EpiPen injection and urgent medical treatment in hospital.
His father, Nathan Morrison, had already suffered a terrifying ordeal at the Premier Inn in Weston-super-Mare two nights prior, leaving him and his family forced to barricade themselves in their room. He explained upon arriving at the holiday park's restaurant, the family were told to scan a QR code and select a meal that was safe for his son, who has a shellfish and milk allergy.
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After selecting what was described as one of the "safest options possible" by Mr Morrison - a plate of chips, peas and Quorn meat alternative - his son, Caleb, began to eat the chips. That's when he started to suffer a severe allergic reaction.
Haven said that the health and safety of its guests is "our number one priority" and the family was provided with medical support straight after the incident.
Recounting the ordeal, Mr Morrison said: "Caleb's lips started to swell, and I asked if there was anywhere private I could go to administer the EpiPen. We ended up being shown to the disabled toilets where I injected it into his leg on the baby changing bed. My wife ended up having to call an ambulance."
Mr Morrison said his son's face had swollen up by this point and he was having problems with his breathing.
"I wasn't able to leave and follow my son to Taunton's Musgrove Hospital until I had filled out a load of paperwork," he recalled. Caleb then suffered a secondary anaphylactic shock in the ambulance and was admitted overnight in hospital. The family left the following day.
A spokesperson for Haven Holidays said: "The health and safety of our guests is our number one priority and all our employees are allergen trained. In line with our stringent health and safety policies around allergies, our server informed the family prior to their meal that we could not guarantee fried food would be allergen-free.
"Regrettably, a child with allergies ate a portion of chips which the table ordered and had an allergic reaction. The family was provided with medical support straight after the incident."
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