A family trip to Walt Disney World ended in horror when a Marion County father choked on a steak dinner at a Disney Springs restaurant and died in front of his young daughter. A new wrongful death lawsuit alleges staff stood by and focused on “contacting security” instead of immediately performing life‑saving measures, turning what should have been a routine meal into a fatal emergency. The case now raises pointed questions about how prepared one of the world’s most famous vacation destinations really is for medical crises inside its restaurants.
The fatal steak dinner at Disney Springs
The lawsuit centers on a visit to The Boathouse, a popular waterfront restaurant located on the Amphicar Landing at Disney Springs, where the victim, identified in court records as Kevin Lee Duncan, ordered a steak entrée while dining with his daughter. According to the complaint, Duncan began choking on a piece of steak that became lodged in his airway, leaving him unable to breathe as his child watched the situation escalate from confusion to panic. The filing describes how the family’s vacation at the Walt Disney World property shifted in seconds from a celebratory outing to a desperate struggle for oxygen, with Duncan collapsing as other guests realized he was in serious distress.
Legal filings state that “While consuming a steak entrée… [Duncan] began choking on a piece of steak and experienced a blockage of his airway,” a sequence that unfolded inside the busy dining room of The Boathouse and, according to the suit, was visible to staff and patrons nearby. As Kevin Lee Duncan’s dining companions and other guests tried to save him, he died despite their efforts, a detail laid out in the same complaint that now underpins the family’s wrongful death case against the restaurant. The Boathouse sits within the larger Walt Disney World entertainment complex, a setting that heightens the shock for relatives who say they trusted the venue to be ready for emergencies.
Allegations of a slow and inadequate response
At the heart of the lawsuit is the claim that restaurant workers failed to act quickly or effectively once it became clear Duncan was choking. The complaint alleges that, instead of immediately attempting abdominal thrusts or other basic first aid, staff focused on contacting security and waiting for outside help, even as Duncan’s condition deteriorated in front of his daughter. Family attorneys argue that this delay, combined with what they describe as a lack of proper employee training for choking incidents, turned a survivable emergency into a fatal one and directly contributed to his death.
One filing asserts that Although Duncan and his daughter were rushed to a nearby hospital, the customer died, and Per the lawsuit’s documents, the family believes the restaurant’s response contributed to his death. The suit describes a chaotic scene in which guests tried to intervene while employees appeared uncertain about how to respond, a narrative echoed in coverage that notes the Restaurant inside Disney Springs facing lawsuit after a patron’s choking death and questions whether staff had been adequately prepared for such a foreseeable medical crisis. Those concerns are sharpened by reports that By the time first responders arrived, emergency medical personnel reported that Duncan had been “down” for approximately several minutes, a window in which brain damage and death from lack of oxygen become far more likely.
Inside the wrongful death lawsuit against The Boathouse
The Boathouse Receives Wrongful Death Lawsuit After Man Chokes on Steak, with filings in federal court accusing the venue and its operators of negligence, inadequate training, and failing to maintain a safe environment for guests. The complaint argues that a restaurant serving steak and other foods that are known choking risks has a duty to ensure staff can recognize airway obstruction and perform basic life support until paramedics arrive. Attorneys for Duncan’s family frame the case as a straightforward failure of duty, saying the restaurant’s policies and on‑the‑ground response fell far short of what reasonable guests would expect at a high‑profile Disney Springs destination.
For their part, lawyers for The Boathouse have pushed back, arguing in a motion to dismiss that the complaint, as filed, should not proceed and that the restaurant met its obligations under the law. Court records indicate that The Boathouse in Disney Springs faces lawsuit after man choked on steak and died, but defense attorneys insist that staff did respond and that the tragedy cannot simply be blamed on the restaurant. A popular Disney Springs restaurant, The Boathouse, faces a wrongful death lawsuit after a customer choked on steak and died, yet the company’s legal team maintains that the incident, while heartbreaking, does not amount to actionable negligence under Florida standards.
Family grief, public outrage, and Disney’s broader safety questions
The emotional core of the case is carried by Duncan’s mother and daughter, who now describe a family shattered by a preventable loss. In their telling, a Marion County man died after choking on a piece of steak at the Boathouse restaurant, according to authorities, and his child was forced to watch as adults around her struggled to save him. Coverage of the lawsuit notes that As Kevin Lee Duncan’s dining companions and other guests tried to save him, he died, a detail that has fueled public anger over the idea that trained staff may have stood back while a father suffocated in front of his family.
Local broadcasts have amplified that outrage, with one segment noting that a Marion County man died after choking on a piece of steak at The Boathouse and that his family is now seeking accountability through the courts. Another report on Disney Springs Restaurant Sued After Man Choked to Death on Steak describes how [Duncan] began choking on a piece of steak and that the family’s attorneys believe better preparation could have changed the outcome. Video coverage titled Disney Springs restaurant sued in deadly choking incident, which references the moment coming up now on 507 in its broadcast, underscores how the case has become a flashpoint in central Florida over what guests should reasonably expect when they sit down to eat at a resort‑area restaurant.
Emergency preparedness under the microscope at Disney properties
The Boathouse case is unfolding against a backdrop of heightened scrutiny on safety at Disney properties after multiple recent fatalities. One report describes a Third Tragic Death Reported at Disney Within Days, noting that By the time first responders arrived in Duncan’s case, emergency medical personnel reported that he had been “down” for a critical period, and that similar questions about response times and training have surfaced in other incidents. Another analysis, framed under the banner Attorneys Question Emergency Preparedness In a statement following the filing, Morgan & Morgan founder John Morgan and his colleagues argue that Disney‑area venues must do more to ensure staff are ready for medical emergencies, from choking to cardiac arrest.
Within that context, the wrongful death lawsuit on the Amphicar Landing has become a test of how far courts will go in holding individual restaurants accountable for on‑site medical crises. Legal commentary around the Lawsuit on the Amphicar Landing notes that plaintiffs are targeting not only The Boathouse but also its training protocols, arguing that employee training for choking incidents was insufficient for a venue that serves high‑risk foods like Steak in a crowded tourist environment. Coverage of a Walt Disney World Property restaurant hit with wrongful death claims points out that The Walt Disney World Property location at issue has declined to comment on the lawsuit, even as public debate grows over whether Disney should mandate uniform emergency standards across all third‑party operators on its grounds.
What the case could mean for theme‑park dining and guest safety
Beyond the immediate tragedy, the Duncan lawsuit could reshape expectations for how theme‑park restaurants prepare for and respond to medical emergencies. Advocates say a popular Restaurant inside Disney Springs facing lawsuit following patron’s choking death should prompt operators across the resort to revisit staff training, the availability of basic life‑saving equipment, and clear protocols for when a guest is in obvious distress. Some legal experts suggest that if a jury finds The Boathouse liable, other venues that serve similar menus may face pressure to ensure every server and manager is certified in choking response and CPR, particularly in high‑traffic tourist hubs.
For now, the case proceeds through the courts, with filings, motions to dismiss, and public statements drawing intense scrutiny from families who see their own vacations in the Duncans’ story. A wrongful death lawsuit has been filed alleging that failures at The Boathouse in Disney Springs led to the victim’s death, and coverage across television, radio, and online platforms, including segments that reference HUMANELY KILLED LATER. COMING UP NOW on 507 and local radio discussions asking What are the Weather Tones alongside updates on the Disney Springs Restaurant Sued After Man Choked to Death on Steak – WDBO, shows how deeply the incident has resonated. As the legal battle unfolds, the question looming over Disney Springs is whether one family’s loss will finally force a broader reckoning with emergency preparedness in the happiest place on earth.
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