Man who took part in competitive eating contest ended up choking before falling into a coma, leaving him paralyzed
- Man choked during Diwali eating contest, suffered brain damage
|
A Canadian father ended up becoming paralyzed after choking during a competitive eating contest to celebrate the Hindu festival of Diwali.
Samaljit (Sunny) Aulakh has been laid up in a hospital bed unable to speak or walk since November. He can barely move his head.
The 36-year-old father of one fell to the floor after he choked on an Indian sweet.
Now the family say they are considering legal action to pay for Mr Aulakh's mounting medical bills.
Unfortunate: A Diwali celebration turned tragic when a 36-year-old father of two signed up for an eating contest and then choked on an Indian sweet sending him into a coma and leaving him paralyzed
Looking after: Samaljit Aulakh, 36, has been in hospital, unable to speak or walk, since November, when he took his son to the Diwali celebration
Praying: Samaljit's family is still holding out some hope that he will recover
His family said he suffered severe brain damage after an eating contest in Surrey.
Tragedy struck after the dad took his son to a Diwali celebration.
He got up on stage to participate in an eating contest involving gulab jamuns, soft doughy Indian sweets.
'They called him the winner, and once he stood up, I guess he was choking on the food, which caused him to pass out and have a stroke, and from the stroke he now has brain damage,' niece Inderjeet Daleh told CBC News.
Awful moment: Describing the second she realized something was terribly wrong 'I see him, he's all bluish and he can't breathe properly,' added wife Kamal Aulakh
Diwali festival competition: Aulakh got up on stage to participate in an eating contest
Sweetness: The eating contest involved gulab jamuns, soft doughy Indian sweets the size of Timbits
Son in shock: 'After my dad ate, he stood up and I think he felt dizzy and he fell down.¿ I felt very scared and I started to cry,' Pawan,10, said
His 10 year old son, Pawan, watched as the first ambulance arrived.
'After my dad ate, he stood up and I think he felt dizzy and he fell down.… I felt very scared and I started to cry,' Pawan said.
'I see him, he's all bluish and he can't breathe properly,' added wife Kamal Aulakh.
Aulakh's family said a second ambulance with equipment to clear his trachea had to be called for help.
He eventually ended up in a coma for ten days.
The way things were: Sunny Aulakh was a fit and healthy father until the eating contest that rendered him helpless
Hosts: Punjabi radio station Red FM cancelled the Diwali event after the tragedy
Possibly lawsuit: Niece Inderjeet Daleh says the family are considering a lawsuit after her uncle became paralyzed and rendered speechless
Shortly after the competition, Red FM, the Punjabi language radio station that held the contest, quickly shut down the event.
'If you're putting on a show like this, and having contests like this, you should have some kind of safety,' said niece Inderjeet Daleh. 'There should be some paramedics on site equipped and ready.'
Aulakh was not asked to sign a waiver of liability before entering the competition, Daleh said.
His family is still holding out some hope that he will recover.
In the meantime, they say they are considering legal action to get financial assistance to help pay for medical costs and Aulakh's eventual move to a long-term care facility.
No comments:
Post a Comment