‘My three-year-old was left a quadriplegic after choking on a piece of candy’

“It is shocking that this level of brain damage was caused by just one single piece of this dangerous gel candy.”

Alexandra Feiam

2 min read

January 12, 2024 - 8:02AM

Family Life

Don't miss out on the headlines from Family Life. Followed categories will be added to My News.

A family has filed a lawsuit after their toddler became a quadriplegic, reportedly after choking on a single lolly.

In December 2022, Amelie Camacho, a vibrant and bubbly three-year-old from California was eating a packet of Candy Land Gummy Dot lollies.

As she ate the candy, a piece became lodged in her throat, prompting her parents, Maria and Francisco, to spring into action and try and save their daughter.

Want to join the family? Sign up to our Kidspot newsletter for more stories like this.

Three-year-old Amelie was reportedly left a quadriplegic after choking on a lolly. Source: KESQ

Toddler left quadriplegic after lolly gets lodged in her throat

The lolly had become stuck inside the back of Amelie’s throat and, despite her parents’ best efforts, were unable to remove it.

After rushing her to the hospital, doctors had to try different methods to remove the lolly, which was “extremely difficult [to remove] due to excessive stickiness of the product and its extraordinary lack of pliability.”

Doctors scrambled to remove the lolly from her throat, but since it had blocked off her oxygen pathway for such a long time, she sadly suffered severe hypoxia, where body tissue goes too long without oxygen exposure.

Since the horrifying experience, the 3yo suffered and is now “permanently disabled”, unable to speak, walk, move or swallow, leaving her quadriplegic and requiring medical assistance for the rest of her life.

“These candies were a ticking time bomb,” said the family’s attorney, Thomas Bosworth. “It is shocking that this level of brain damage [was] caused by just one single piece of this dangerous gel candy.”

Amelie is now permanently disabled. Source: KESQ

Family fights for clear choking hazard warnings on candy

The family has filed a lawsuit against Hasbro and Frankford Candy & Chocolate Co. for product liability, failure to warn, negligence and negligent infliction of emotional distress.

The shattered parents also argued there should have been a choking hazard label on the packet.

They hope their actions will force the company to address the serious dangers of choking on their candies and prevent other families from experiencing such traumatic events.

“I would not want this to happen to anyone. It's a very scary situation, and it's very painful,” mum Maria told KESQ.

“I still get a lot of anxiety just thinking about it. My kids still talk about it a lot. Obviously, Amelie, her life changed.”

“I would love to get those gummies removed, or if that's not possible, at least get a warning and a warning that’s big enough for parents to see because the packaging can be very deceiving.”