Teen With Peanut Allergy Dies After Eating Spare Ribs

A 15-year-old boy with a peanut allergy has died after taking two bites of spare ribs that had been marinated in peanut sauce.

William Luckett had been visiting his father, Steven, on the Isle of Wight over the Christmas holiday. On December 29, they decided to get Chinese takeout for dinner. They ordered spare ribs from Hong Kong Express, near Steven's house.

After just two bites, William complained that he felt sick. He soon developed a rash, and his father rushed him to the hospital. Unfortunately, he died minutes after eating the ribs.

Ribs Marinated in Peanut Sauce

It is believed that the teenager died from an allergic reaction caused by the peanuts used to prepare the dish. The restaurant maintains that peanuts were listed as an ingredient on the menu.

However, William's mother Helen Stiles says her son would not have eaten the ribs if he knew the recipe included peanuts. Stiles says that her son always ordered the same items from the chain -- duck in plum sauce and barbecue spare ribs. They have since learned that the Hong Kong Express near his father's home is the only one in that chain that prepares its spare ribs using peanut sauce.

His mother commented: "It could happen to anybody. I want to make people more aware. To die over something so stupid and trivial as peanut butter is a tragedy. It is so tragic because he had his whole life ahead of him."

Source: The Daily Mail