Simple mistake leaves woman on IV drip at concert of favourite band: 'It was awful'

For most people, grabbing a bite to eat goes hand-in-hand with attending a rock concert, but a simple mistake made by a food vendor could have had fatal consequences for one fan who was forced to listen to her favourite band from inside the medical tent.

Courtney Egginton, 24, had been looking forward to Paramore's Sydney concert "for months" and was incredibly excited when the day finally arrived on Saturday. Admitting she was "very hungry" dashing straight to the gig from work, she purchased halloumi fries which the vendor assured her were nut free.

"I told him I'm anaphylactic to nuts and I'm also celiac, but it only took three bites before I felt my whole mouth and throat get itchy," the singing teacher told Yahoo News Australia. "It was awful."

Egginton quickly started to feel nauseous and drowsy, and her stomach began to ache. She was rushed to the medical tent where staff monitored her and administered adrenaline. Disheartened, she sat stuck in the medical tent with a friend while music from the pre-show played nearby.

Easily avoided mistake was a total 'bummer'

Egginton admits her own music has been inspired by Paramore, saying how the apparent carelessness from the food vendor impacted her childhood dream of one day watching the band perform live.

She was later wheeled to a nearby hospital where she was put on an intravenous drip and missed the entirety of the concert.

"It's hard because you've always got to be really, really careful. I thought it would be fun and he said the food was safe," she said.

Do you have a story about an allergic reaction? Contact reporter Sophie Coghill at sophie.coghill@yahooinc.com

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Egginton also ended up missing one and a half days of work due to the allergic reaction, with her "weak" body still recovering.

"My friends encouraged me to put a complaint in through New South Wales Health and I did that. I'm just waiting to hear back from them but I'm not hopeful."

Australia has one of the highest food allergy rates in the world, with two in every 100 adults suffering from an allergy, according to the NSW Food Authority. It is also believed 25 per cent of the population have some sort of food intolerance.

Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com.

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