The parents of Anna Fournier, 14, are suing Monster Beverage Company for her wrongful death. They claim that after she consumed two 24 oz. Monster Energy beverages containing 480 mg of caffeine over two consecutive days in December, the teen went into cardiac arrest. Six days later, Fournier, who never regained consciousness, had to be taken off life support.
According to her death certificate, Fournier’s died from cardiac arrhythmia resulting “caffeine toxicity complicating mitral valve regurgitation” related to Ehlers-Danlos syndrome. This means that the caffeine caused her heart to beat irregularly. However, prior to consuming the beverages, she was already suffering from an underlying genetic disorder meant that had already been causing her heart valve to leak. leaking
In their Monster Energy lawsuit, Fournier’s parents are alleging that the energy drink maker failed in warning consumers about the dangers involved in consuming beverages with a lot of caffeine. They also accused the manufacturer of purposely marketing the Monster line to young people-for example, names of the drinks include Monster Heavy Metal and Monster Assault. (While Monster can labels don’t report the amount of caffeine that is in each drink, they do say that that the energy beverage is not recommended for people who are caffeine-sensitive or for kids. A 2-3 can/day limit is recommended depending on how big the can.)
Meantime, per Food and Drug Administration incident reports, In the last three years, at least five people may have died after drinking Monster Energy. One other person suffered a nonfatal heart attack. There were also reports of related vomiting, stomach pain, abnormal heart rate, and tremors. (However, the filings don’t specify whether drugs, alcohol, or other factors were additionally involved.) Also, a spokesperson for the FDA said that while it is looking into the incidents, it has not been able to confirm whether the Monster drinks actually caused the deaths.
In Massachusetts, if you believe that your illness or a loved one’s death was caused by consuming a dangerous/defective/spoiled/contaminated food or drink product, you should speak with an experienced Boston products liability law firm right away.
Monster Energy Drink Cited in Deaths, NY Times, October 22, 2012
Monster Lawsuit Raises Questions About Caffeine, ABC News, October 24, 2012
More Blog Posts:
At Least 10 Dangerous Drug Lawsuits Filed Against Framingham, Massachusetts Compound Pharmacy as Death Toll from Fungal Meningitis Hits 23, 294 Afflicted, Boston Injury Lawyer Blog, October 22, 2012
Massachusetts Helps InVivo Find Effective Treatment for Spinal Cord Injuries, Boston Injury Lawyer Blog, October 21, 2012
Fosamax Lawsuit: Merck and Estate of Woman Who Suffered from Osteonecrosis of the Jaw Reach Confidential Damage Award Agreement, Drug Injury Lawyer Blog, October 17, 2012