Grieving dad criticises festival organisers after 11-year-old son died from a peanut allergy

Chesterfield Cororner’s Court heard how Aaron O’Farrell, of East Street, Doe Lea, Chesterfield, ate something from the festival and then started to feel sick and was taken to hospital by ambulance but was pronounced dead shortly afterwards on September 28, 2014.

His father James O’Farrell was shocked to hear during the inquest, held on Monday, how the organisers of a Hindu festival called Navratri, at Broadway School, in Birmingham, had purchased the sweets without considering possible nut allergies and had no warning signs at the event, though these have now been introduced.

Mr O’Farrell told the court: “Other businesses are aware about nut allergies and I’m a bit concerned about why this was not done earlier when my son has passed away and when a lot of people are aware of nut allergies.

“It’s my opinion that I class this as sheer ignorance. It should have been sorted at source.”

Paediatric pathologist Dr Luis Perez told the inquest that Aaron had taken a small amount of food after the festival and he started to feel sick.

He added: “He was given an EpiPen injection and the ambulance was called and as he was still breathing he was given two doses of intravenous adrenaline.

“He arrested at 13.08 on route to the hospital where he arrived with no heartbeat.”

Medical staff repeatedly performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation and further adrenaline was administered, according to Dr Perez, but death was confirmed at 1.48pm, on September 28, 2014.

Dr Perez confirmed that the cause of death was a peanut allergy leading to anaphylaxis or an anaphylactic shock.

Ajaysinh Rathod, who organised the event as a volunteer for the Shiv Yog Foundation explained that the festival involved fruits, sweets and savouries offered to people during fasting as gifts or Prasads.