7th Grader Dies After Eating School Party Food
A 7th grader is dead. Was it a reaction to peanut oil in the take-out food she ate at a school party that killed her?
UPDATED 12/21/10 9:43 a.m.
CHICAGO (AP/WBBM) - Officials with Chicago Public Schools are investigating the death of a 13-year-old girl who had an allergic reaction to food she ate at school.
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Seventh-grader Katelyn Carlson of the Sauganash neighborhood was rushed from Edison Regional Gifted Center, 4929 N. Sawyer Ave., to a hospital on Friday. The Cook County Medical Examiner's office says she died of anaphylaxis, a severe reaction to a food allergy.
The Chicago Tribune reports that parents of other students say school officials told them the girl had a reaction to the peanut oil in Chinese food ordered from a restaurant for a class party.
Emergency crews initially took Katelyn, of the 6100 block of North Karlov Avenue, to Swedish Covenant Hospital in serious-to-critical condition, a fire department spokesman said. However, she was later transferred to Children's Memorial Hospital where she was pronounced dead at 5:40 p.m., according to the medical examiner's office.
School officials say they're investigating, but they aren't releasing any details. Grief counselors were at the school Monday to help Katelyn's classmates.
One man whose daughter also has a peanut allergy and who was a classmate of Katelyn, told the Tribune his daughter assured him earlier last week that a teacher had called the restaurant several times to make sure peanuts would not be used in the food.
The father said his own daughter did not have a bad reaction to the food.
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