Model Left Brain Dead by Pretzel: How A $2 Negligence Turned Into A $30 MIllion Awarded Lawsuit
Chantel Giacalone and her family are finally getting justice.
The model and actress went into anaphylactic shock after eating a pretzel with peanut butter on it, resulting in brain damage.
Now, the Las Vegas jury ruled that Giacalone and her family will be awarded $29.5 million.
After the verdict was announced, her dad Jack Giacalone said, "At least my daughter will be taken care of. I'm happy about that."
"All the anguish that we've been through for the last eight years, I'm not happy about."
He also claimed to have told his daughter before attending the trial that the truth will be coming out, which made her cry.
The money from the lawsuit will also be used to build a more conducive house to Giacalone's needs.
What Happened to Chantel Giacalone?
Chantel Giacalone, who was 27 years old at the time, was in Las Vegas for a modeling gig in 2013 when she endured the shock triggered by a severe allergic reaction after consuming a peanut butter-infused pretzel.
In 2017, Paris Hilton also urged her millions of followers to donate and help Giacalone as she was in coma.
Her parents have also provided 24-hour care for their daughter, who currently lives in their dining room. She is reportedly fed through a tube and communicates only by blinking.
According to the Las Vegas Journal-Review, Giacalone is expected to live for 20 more years.
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Chantel Giacalone Trials
According to her attorney, the ambulance team on the scene wasn't equipped with IV epinephrine, a requirement by the Southern Nevada Health District.
The MedicWEst Ambulance team didn't admit any wrongdoing as their paramedics were supplied with intramuscular epinephrine.
However, an IV is required for severe reactions like the model experienced.
Attorney Christian Morris further argued that the drug only cost $2.42, but the lawsuit sought about $60 million in damages for Giacalone's medical expenses and their family's emotional suffering.
Morris told the court, "Every minute of Chantel's life has been inextricably altered."
"Every single minute since she walked into that medic room to a company that chose profits over patient care." Per the ambulance team's legal team, the patient reportedly never lost consciousness while being treated by their crew.
They even argued that her condition was inevitable based on her reaction after consuming peanut butter.
According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Giacalone's dad Jack traveled back and forth from their home in Detroit to attend the three-week civil trial in Las Vegas.
Chantel Giacalone Movies
Before the accident, Chantel Giacalone lived in Los Angeles and appeared in movies such as "Adam" and "The Butterfly Effect 3: Revelations" and the web series "Hollow Walls."
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