Police arrest waiter for serving allergic patron

MONTREAL -- A Canadian waiter could face charges for alleged criminal negligence after a restaurant patron suffered a severe allergic reaction to salmon.

Simon-Pierre Canuel went to Le Tapageur, a restaurant in Sherbrooke, Quebec, in May. Police Constable Martin Carrier said Friday that Canuel repeatedly told his server about his seafood and salmon allergy and ordered beef tartare.

Carrier said Canuel asked the waiter to go into the kitchen and make sure the cooks knew of his allergy. When his tartare arrived in the dimly lit restaurant Canuel believed it was beef.

"When he took his first bite, he had a severe allergic reaction," Carrier said.

Canuel went into anaphylactic shock, lost consciousness and suffered cardiac arrest, and was in a coma for two days.

The 22-year-old waiter, whose name has not been released, was arrested this week and released on a promise to attend future court proceedings.

Carrier said the victim filed an official complaint with Sherbrooke police on July 21. Police subsequently questioned the victim and witnesses, as well as searched Le Tapageur earlier this week, seizing evidence.

Canuel declined to comment when reached Friday, but has said he plans to file a civil suit.

"Nothing has been filed yet. We're looking at our options," said his lawyer, Marie-Sophie Demers.