Panera Bread Sued After Lemonade Leads to Wrongful Death

Popular restaurant chain Panera Bread is under scrutiny in October after one customer died from consuming the company’s “charged lemonade,” which, unbeknownst to consumers, contains a significant amount of caffeine and energy supplements. While the chain is now issuing a new warning about the lemonade product, sadly, this comes too late for the victim who consumed it without these disclosures, and suffered the consequences, given the product’s deadly impact on her heart condition.

What Happened?

The 21-year-old died from cardiac arrest after consuming the product due, in part, to suffering from Congenital Long QT Syndrome Type 1, which can result in life-threatening abnormal heart rhythms due to improperly-functioning potassium ion channels in the heart that disrupt the heart’s electrical activity.

Sadly, there were no indications that the lemonade had any caffeine in it when this particular consumer purchased and consumed the drink. Her family has now filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Panera, seeking justice for their daughter.

Is the Public Still in Danger?

There are now concerns that the warning now provided by Panera is insufficient to actually protect potentially vulnerable consumers: The company is informing the public that these drinks contain “about as much caffeine as the dark roast coffee,” however, certain serving sizes of the drink have actually been tested as having close to 400 milligrams of caffeine in a single cup, which is more akin to consuming four to five cups of coffee in a single serving.

In addition, the lemonade is reportedly mixed in-house by employees, which indicates that there is a complete lack of control over its total caffeine content, all of which is largely dependent upon how individual employees ultimately mix the drink. This, in turn, has an innate and dangerous potential to harm customers, especially given that the drink can be purchased as part of Panera’s “Sip Club” membership, which allows subscribers to drink free in-store refills, potentially lending itself to overconsuming the product at dangerous levels.

Many are now calling for the drink to include a more blatant warning – or to be taken off the shelves – in order to protect others. Many have pointed out that, for some members of the public, the drink is dangerous, but not advertised as such.

If You’ve Been Hurt, Contact our Macon, Georgia Injury Attorneys

If you or a loved one has suffered due to a misleading, and potentially dangerous product, the Macon wrongful death attorneys at the Law Offices of Buzzell, Welsh & Hill are prepared to help you obtain the recovery you need and deserve in order to ensure that justice is done. Contact us today to schedule a free confidential consultation and find out how we can help.

Sources:

goodmorningamerica.com/food/story/panera-bread-issues-new-warning-charged-lemonades-amid-104502603

6abc.com/panera-bread-charged-lemonade-wrongful-death-lawsuit-sarah-katz/13963225/