17-year-old boy dies after eating burrito bowl, family says

(Gray News) – A 17-year-old boy in Australia died after eating a burrito bowl he ordered on a delivery app. Now, his family is seeking answers.

On May 27, 2021, James Tsindos ordered a burrito bowl from a food delivery app after visiting a COVID-19 testing center with his dad, 7News reported.

After experiencing flare-ups while eating the bowl, Tsindos’ dad called an ambulance to their home while the teen called the restaurant.

The 17-year-old was allergic to nuts and would usually check the ingredients in his food. However, he didn’t on this occasion.

The restaurant confirmed the burrito bowl contained a vegan cheese sauce made from cashews.

When first responders arrived, Tsindos didn’t show any signs of an allergic reaction, but he was taken to a hospital as a precaution.

As he was being wheeled through the hospital doors, Tsindos told the paramedics he was “wheezy.”

As time progressed, Tsindos’ condition worsened and he became unresponsive before entering cardiac arrest with a rash appearing on his body, 7News reported.

Doctors and nurses spent nearly 40 minutes trying to resuscitate Tsindos.

Tsindos sustained a brain injury from the cardiac arrest and never recovered.

He was taken off life support five days later.

Shari Liby, the Tsindos’ family lawyer, told 7News that James was a beautiful 17-year-old who was filled with laughter, joy and hope.

“They have a lot of questions about what happened, whether his death could have been prevented,” Liby said.

An inquest into his death began on Friday, examining food delivery app systems for allergies, as well as whether the medical care provided to Tsindos was appropriate.