A Canadian man, Samaljit (Sunny) Aulakh who ended up becoming paralyzed after choking during a competitive eating contest to celebrate the Hindu festival of Diwali has had a lawsuit launched on his behalf.
Since the incident, last November, the man has been confined in hospital unable to speak or walk.
At the time, the 36 year old man fell to the floor after choking on an Indian sweet. Going on to fall into a coma and consequently suffer brain damage.
Told the man’s niece Inderjeet Daleh: ‘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,’
Recalls the man’s ten year old son, Pawan: ‘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,’
Added his wife Kamal Aulakh: ‘I see him, he’s all bluish and he can’t breathe properly,’
At the time a second ambulance had to be called to clear Sunny’s trachea. Unable to clear his breathing passages, Sunny would go on to suffer brain damage. He would eventually lie in a coma for ten days before awaking with limited use of his faculties.
Reacting to the concern of Sunny’s condition, Red FM, the Punjabi language radio station that held the contest, went on to shut down the event.
Went on to tell Sunny’s niece, Inderjeet Daleh: ‘If you’re putting on a show like this, and having contests like this, you should have some kind of safety,’
‘There should be some paramedics on site equipped and ready.’
The niece went on to tell Sunny was not asked to sign a waiver of liability before entering the competition.
That said, seeking to recoup Sunny’s mounting medical expenses, the man’s family has finally decided to push ahead in suing South Asian Broadcasting Corp. and dumpling maker Nanak Foods in British Columbia Supreme Court for unspecified damages through his guardian Kamaljeet Aulakh.
Despite the severity of Sunny’s predicament, his family is still holding out hope that Sunny may recover.
Then there was this comment on the web that made me wonder as well:
Can I sue if I fall over while running for the phone to call into a radio contest?
