A father of three tragically lost his life at a renowned restaurant within Walt Disney World Resort in Florida, as staff reportedly failed to immediately call 911 when he began choking on a piece of steak. Instead, they reached out to security first, a decision that allegedly resulted in a “critical delay,” according to a lawsuit filed against the establishment.

The incident involved Kevin Duncan, a 42-year-old resident of Ocala, who was in Orlando for his daughter’s dance competition. On June 7, 2025, Duncan was dining with family and friends at The Boathouse in Disney Springs when the choking episode unfolded, witnessed by his daughter and her dance team.

Duncan, affectionately remembered as a “beloved dance dad” in a heartfelt Facebook tribute from his daughter’s group, was enjoying a meal with loved ones when the situation turned dire, as detailed in a complaint submitted on Tuesday.

The complaint states that Duncan “began choking on a piece of steak and experienced a blockage of his airway.” Despite efforts by family and friends to perform the Heimlich maneuver and other measures, restaurant staff did not immediately contact emergency services. Instead, their initial response was to alert security, which purportedly delayed the arrival of medical professionals.

According to the legal team representing Duncan’s family, the delay in securing appropriate emergency medical assistance resulted in Duncan suffering severe hypoxia and cardiopulmonary arrest. He was placed on a ventilator on June 8, 2025, and sadly passed away on June 9, 2025.

Duncan had been enjoying a day at Magic Kingdom with his daughter just one day earlier, according to Facebook posts by her dance team.

“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.”