A tragic incident at one of Walt Disney World’s most frequented dining spots has resulted in a lawsuit, following the death of a father who choked on a piece of steak. Instead of immediately calling 911, restaurant staff first alerted security, a decision that allegedly caused a “critical delay” in emergency response, according to the lawsuit.

Kevin Duncan, a 42-year-old resident of Ocala, found himself in Orlando for a dance competition attended by his daughter when the incident unfolded at The Boathouse in Disney Springs on June 7, 2025. Witnesses, including Duncan’s daughter and her dance team, watched in horror as the event unfolded, according to statements from his family and the dance team.

The Duncan family has described Kevin as a “beloved dance dad,” a sentiment echoed by the dance group in a heartfelt Facebook tribute. What began as a joyful meal with family and friends took a devastating turn, as outlined in a legal complaint filed on Tuesday.

The complaint details how Duncan choked on a piece of steak, resulting in an airway blockage. Despite attempts by family and friends to perform the Heimlich maneuver, restaurant staff contacted security instead of dialing 911, which allegedly delayed the arrival of emergency medical services.

According to Duncan’s family’s legal team, this delay contributed to severe hypoxia and cardiopulmonary arrest. These medical crises led to Duncan being placed on a ventilator on June 8, 2025, and he tragically passed away the following day, June 9.

Just a day before this tragedy, Duncan was enjoying the wonders of Magic Kingdom with his daughter, as shared in videos posted by her dance team on Facebook.

“Celebrating all of our hard work this regional season with the best team,” wrote Radar Dance Complex OCALA on June 7, 2025, in a post that showed a video of the dancers inside the Disney theme park.

In their legal complaint and court filings, lawyers for Duncan’s family say that employees saw Duncan “experiencing difficulty breathing or choking during the incident,” including an on-duty manager who “became aware that [Duncan] was in medical distress before 911 was called.” They allege that more than two minutes elapsed and “no employee of the restaurant placed the first 911 call regarding the incident.”

The complaint accuses Boathouse management of “directing staff to contact security first rather than immediately contacting emergency medical services, causing critical delay” due to a “policy or practice” that required staff to contact security before calling 911. It alleges that the Boathouse failed to “adequately train” and supervise employees regarding emergency responses to choking.

“Choking of restaurant patrons is a known and foreseeable risk in restaurants,” the complaint says. “When a patron is observed to be choking, unresponsive, or not breathing, the reasonable response is to immediately call 911.”

The complaint accuses the restaurant of knowing that “prompt activation of 911 is critical in choking emergencies,” and staff members still chose to call security first.

“Mr. Duncan died because of the event and alleged actions by the restaurant,” the complaint concludes.

A GoFundMe for Duncan’s family describes him as someone whose “greatest joy was his children,” according to the description. “He loved them to the moon and back,” the online fundraiser says.

After his death, his daughter’s dance team memorialized him in a Facebook post that said, “Our hearts are incredibly heavy as we mourn the sudden and tragic loss of one of our beloved dance dads, Kevin Duncan. … This heartbreaking event has left a profound impact on our entire community — especially the dancers, parents, and staff who were present and witnessed it firsthand. We ask that you please keep our dance family in your thoughts and prayers as we navigate the difficult days ahead.”

A 2022 Delish article about The Boathouse describes it as “one of the most popular restaurants at the Disney Springs entertainment zone at Walt Disney World Resort,” according to the food website.

“The restaurant opened in 2015 and has had lines forming down the sidewalk ever since,” the article explains, while featuring a headline that says, “If You Can Only Dine At One Place In Disney Springs, Make It The Boathouse.”

A spokesperson for the restaurant’s parent company, Gibsons Restaurant Group, provided a statement to Law&Crime on Wednesday that said, “We are very sorry for the tragic loss of life, and our thoughts are with those affected. Because this is an active legal matter, we are unable to comment at this time.”