Beck Starr / FilmMagic
A jury in Las Vegas has awarded $ 29.5 million to the family of a former model and actress who suffered brain damage after suffering an allergic reaction to eating a peanut butter cracker.
The family of Chantel Giacalone was awarded the money on Friday after a jury in a civil case agreed that a Nevada ambulance company was negligent when she treated her in February 2013. Las Vegas Review Journal report.
The then 27-year-old was modeling clothes at the Mandalay Bay South Convention Center when she was bitten by a small pretzel given to her by a friend, the outlet said. Unaware of Giacalone, the little snack got a peanut butter in, and she went inside Anaphylactic shock.
The condition is a severe allergic reaction that can lead to a variety of symptoms, the most important of which is the narrowing of airways that causes breathing problems, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Patients are usually given adrenaline, an adrenaline treatment, commonly used for severe asthma attacks. If the condition is not treated immediately, it can be fatal, Mayo Clinic added.
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Chantel Giacalone Fund / Facebook
Giacalone’s lawyer, Christian Morris, who did not immediately respond to people’s request for comment, said the aspiring actress’ brain had run out of oxygen for a few minutes after talking to the MedicWest ambulance staff, who were in the conference center was stationed, searched.
According to the Associated Press, Morris argued that none of the doctors had intravenous epinephrine, which is required by the southern Nevada Health District. While medics have used intramuscular epinephrine, intravenous epinephrine is needed if a patient is already in shock.
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William Drury, a lawyer at MedicWest, did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
During the trial, MedicWest denied negligence, arguing that Giacalone’s death was inevitable due to the severity of her peanut allergy, the Review Journal report. The medics also testified that Giacalone continued to breathe while in their care and that they immediately asked for advanced life support when she arrived at their place.
Today, Giacalone – who had parts in films like The Buttery Effect 3: Revelations and Hol mure – is quadrupled and needs 24-hour care for her parents, Jack and Deborah Giacalone. She can only communicate with her eyes.
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“At least my daughter will be taken care of. I’m happy about that,” Jack was quoted as saying by the jury’s decision. Review Journal. “I’m not happy about all the anxiety we’ve been through for the last eight years.”
The couple plans to donate a portion of the money to organizations that benefit people with brain injuries. They also plan to purchase a new home with more space to care for their daughter.
“I do not want her to go anywhere else. I love her, and she loves me,” Deborah said. “It’s very difficult to look after her, but I would not want it otherwise.”