Guy causes co-worker's severe allergic reaction and refuses to admit it

For those with severe allergies, even a trace amount of the allergen in the air can cause a potentially life-threatening reaction. We've all been annoyed on a flight that was unable to serve the usual bags of salted peanuts because one of the passengers had an extreme allergy. 

But many people are unable to bring certain foods to work because of a co-worker with an allergy. One of those people is Reddit user HeadBoysenberry. They recently took to the website to share the story of how they'd accidentally triggered a co-worker's allergic reaction, refused to own up to it, and ask if they were unreasonable for doing so. 

HeadBoysenberry explained:

"Last week one of my coworkers started to feel unwell and another coworker took her to the ER. She was having an allergic reaction. She has an allergy towards peanuts and thinking back on it I probably caused the reaction since we both had had to use the same computer to check order and I had peanut butter on my waffles that morning."

"I definitely don't think I washed my hands after either. Once somebody got the call she was ok they asked us all in a group who had had peanut butter that day and I stayed completely silent."

"Well, yesterday she came back into work. She was fine and everything, but apparently the trip to the ER still cost her $300 after insurance plus the money she lost not going to work for a two days."

"Our coworkers all sympathized and a few started saying whoever had the peanut butter should have to pay. Since I wasn't part of that conversation. I just heard them from across the room, I just focused on my work an tried to avoid the subject for the rest of the day."

When asked to clarify if the co-worker's allergy was common knowledge, HeadBoysenberry added: 

"I kind of remember my coworker saying something about an allergy a few years ago when we were hanging during our break. Everyone shares the same computers. We work in a warehouse and periodically have to check the computers for things."

"It was never announced," they added.  

HeadBoysenberry also added that the co-worker had an EpiPen, but still needed a trip to the hospital. 

Unsurprisingly, people had some strong opinions on whether the Reddit user was in the wrong. One user wrote:

"NAH. If you're so allergic to peanuts that you need to take an ambulance to the hospital bc someone who came into contact with a peanut product hours earlier then came into contact with your desk, you need to make goddamn sure that everyone knows how serious your allergy is."

"If, however, the person here had made that clear (based on the OP it doesnt seem like it, but it's not really clear), then OP 1000000000% owes this person money and a massive apology."

While another added: 

"Just because you ate some goddamn waffles you should have to pay for her allergic reaction? It was just a mistake. Your coworkers sound insane, trying to find out 'who did it' as if it was premeditated. Which I assume it wasn’t."

And one user concluded: 

"I highly doubt it's a policy, or even a light rule, at your work place to 'not eat peanut butter outside of the workplace.' So technically, you didn't do anything wrong. And you didn't purposefully hurt anybody. Thusly, I don't think you should be made to pay for the bill."

"It sounds like your coworkers are on a witch hunt now and will probably mentally attack the person they think is responsible and guilt-trip them into paying for the bill. I would've stayed quiet too to protect myself. The person with the severe allergy should not be sharing keyboards or anything with anybody, and they should know that..."