DonLever Posted July 30, 2013 Share Posted July 30, 2013 Surrey family says it may sue over Diwali eating contest Man choked during Diwali eating contest, suffered brain damage CBC News Posted: Jul 29, 2013 6:29 PM The family of a Surrey, B.C., father who suffered brain damage after choking at an eating contest at a Diwali celebration last year, says it is considering legal action against the event organizers. Samaljit (Sunny) Aulakh, 36, has been in hospital, unable to speak or walk, since November, when he took his son to the Diwali celebration in Surrey, sponsored by local radio station Red FM. Aulakh got up on stage to participate in an eating contest involving gulab jamuns, soft doughy Indian sweets the size of Timbits. Sunny Aulakh has been in hospital, unable to speak or walk, since November. (CBC) "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," said niece Inderjeet Daleh. Aulakh's 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 ended up in a coma for 10 days, unable to go to back to his job or his fun-loving and active self, they said. The family said Red FM, the Punjabi language radio station that held the contest, failed to have proper safety measures in place. "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. Red FM could not be reached for comment. Aulakh's family is still holding out some hope that he will recover. But in the meantime, they said 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kazmanian Devil Posted July 30, 2013 Share Posted July 30, 2013 Came in to this thread hoping it was a contest to see who could eat Diwali itself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grapefruits Posted July 30, 2013 Share Posted July 30, 2013 Considering they didn't make him sign a waiver, it sounds like he might have a case. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick Grimes Posted July 30, 2013 Share Posted July 30, 2013 Considering they didn't make him sign a waiver, it sounds like he might have a case. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Brahma Bull Posted July 30, 2013 Share Posted July 30, 2013 mmmm gulab jamun. That is so sad that that happened to him, but will this suing go anywhere? You can only eat so fast. Sometimes you have to take your own safety into consideration especially when it comes to eating. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rampage Posted July 30, 2013 Share Posted July 30, 2013 I'm not familiar with food eating contests but do they usually have paramedics or some type of safety equipment on site? Either way the fact that he didn't sign a waiver would probably be enough to go after Red FM. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canucks_fo_life Posted July 30, 2013 Share Posted July 30, 2013 Thats alot of sugar really fast, I hate indian sweets and dont eat em even though Ive grown up around them my entire life. Eating a chocoloate bar is probably healthier, thats how much sugar is in those things. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goliath83 Posted July 30, 2013 Share Posted July 30, 2013 I'm kind of surprised liability waivers weren't signed for this contest. This could leave the radio station open for a hefty lawsuit. Although the guy eating should realize that by eating that much food in a short amount of time might not be a good thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NightHawkSniper Posted July 30, 2013 Share Posted July 30, 2013 Considering they didn't make him sign a waiver, it sounds like he might have a case. Didn't sound like they forced anything down his throat, it was all voluntary. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grapefruits Posted July 30, 2013 Share Posted July 30, 2013 I'm kind of surprised liability waivers weren't signed for this contest. This could leave the radio station open for a hefty lawsuit. Although the guy eating should realize that by eating that much food in a short amount of time might not be a good thing. HUGE mistake by the radio station not to have anyone sign waivers. It's a good thing though. I'd rather the cost of his health care be at least partially covered by someone other than the taxpayer. Didn't sound like they forced anything down his throat, it was all voluntary. They make people sign waivers for events like this for a reason. The radio station provided the food and he choked on it. They could he held responsible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
:D Posted July 30, 2013 Share Posted July 30, 2013 Ban Diwali. An unsafe holiday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
:D Posted July 30, 2013 Share Posted July 30, 2013 No one gets brain damage at Hot Dog eating competitions, just saying. Ban Diwali Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Newsflash Posted July 30, 2013 Share Posted July 30, 2013 I had never heard of a galub jamun eating contest before this. They can have anywhere from ~150-400 calories a peace. People usually have gol gappa eating contests. Much healthier, tastier, and easier to eat in bulk. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Newsflash Posted July 30, 2013 Share Posted July 30, 2013 No one gets brain damage at Hot Dog eating competitions, just saying. Ban Diwali Except for the people watching grown men gorge themselves on phallic foodstuffs. White people. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dion Phaneuf Posted July 30, 2013 Share Posted July 30, 2013 Considering they didn't make him sign a waiver, it sounds like he might have a case. Yup. Sad story too. Too much sugar, but damn gulab jamun's are good (if you order them from the right place of course). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goliath83 Posted July 30, 2013 Share Posted July 30, 2013 All food eating competitions should just go away. Its completely unhealthy and the person eating will only stop if they are choking or puke. This whole type of competition is just revolting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ilduce39 Posted July 30, 2013 Share Posted July 30, 2013 Those things are tasty but really heavy... and more on topic, I'm surprised eating contests don't have a waiver attached to them. The family will probably get some money out of this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-Vintage Canuck- Posted July 30, 2013 Share Posted July 30, 2013 I was at the Diwali Event last year when he choked. He himself did raise his hand to participate in the contest, so it wasn't like they were picking random people getting forced to participate. But I agree, they should eliminate these contests especially the sugary, unhealthy sweets. Before he choked, they did a contest where you had to open up boxes that was covered by a wrapping paper wearing mittens which I think is a better contest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CB007 Posted July 30, 2013 Share Posted July 30, 2013 I was at the Diwali Event last year when he choked. He himself did raise his hand to participate in the contest, so it wasn't like they were picking random people getting forced to participate. But I agree, they should eliminate these contests especially the sugary, unhealthy sweets. Before he choked, they did a contest where you had to open up boxes that was covered by a wrapping paper wearing mittens which I think is a better contest. LOL! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Common sense Posted July 30, 2013 Share Posted July 30, 2013 No liability waivers = lots of problems. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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