Girl Dies, Mother Sues Deepest Pockets

[Andara Bledin]

The mother of Anais Fournier, a 14-year-old girl who died last December, have filed a lawsuit against Monster Beverage alleging that the drink failed to warn about the risks of consumption.

Never mind that the girl had a known existing heart problem or the fact that she also had Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (whether this was known beforehand is not reported), both of which make the ingestion of caffeine a risky and potentially fatal proposition. This, in addition to the fact that many in the medical profession recommend against caffeine at all in adolescents.

The drink in question contains about 250mg of caffeine. For reference, a typical cup of coffee contains about 100mg, a cup of tea is 50mg, and a can of cola is 40mg.

A lethal dose of caffeine is in the range of 150-200mg per kg of body mass. If the girl weighed as little as 80lbs (just over 36kg), she would have to had drunk more than 20 cans of the stuff, not the 2 that it's reported she had.

If there's someone to take the fall for this, Monster is just about last on the list. This is either a woman who needs to blame someone for the random suckiness of life, or looking for a payout on the back of her daughter's tragedy.

^-.-^

[AmbrosiaWriter]

It says right on the can that there is caffeine in it. Not just in the "ingredients" but it says it around the rim of the can (typically something like Caffeine + Taurine + ginseng.)

The girl knew she had a heart condition, and her doctor probably told both her and the mother many times that she should not be drinking caffeine. The girl for drank it, knowing she'd be at risk.

It's very sad that this occurred, obviously, but this really is just a mom looking for a payout.

[BlaqueKatt]

It says right on the can that there is caffeine in it. Not just in the "ingredients" but it says it around the rim of the can (typically something like Caffeine + Taurine + ginseng.)

It also carries a warning label that it's not to be consumed by pregnant women, children, or those sensitive to caffeine, also no more than 3 cans per day for anyone.

though it's interesting how pretty much every article claims it doesn't have one, that's some fine reporting there Lou.

[AmbrosiaWriter]

It also carries a warning label that it's not to be consumed by pregnant women, children, or those sensitive to caffeine, also no more than 3 cans per day for anyone.

though it's interesting how pretty much every article claims it doesn't have one, that's some fine reporting there Lou.

LOL! I'm going to love this.

"Miss Mom, what is this?"
"A can of that horrid energy drink that killed my baby!"
"What is this here?"
"The nutrition label."
"Can you read what it says under that?"
"Drink Responsi... erm.. uh.... THAT WASN'T ON MY BABY'S CANS. THEY MUST'VE JUST MADE THIS ONE TO TRY AND DENY ME MY PAIN AND SUFFERING THAT THEY OWE ME!"

[HYHYBT]

They label it *proudly* for caffeine; that's the point of drinking the stuff. Doing otherwise would be like whiskey trying to pretend it contained no alcohol.

[fireheart17]

LOL! I'm going to love this.

"Miss Mom, what is this?"
"A can of that horrid energy drink that killed my baby!"
"What is this here?"
"The nutrition label."
"Can you read what it says under that?"
"Drink Responsi... erm.. uh.... THAT WASN'T ON MY BABY'S CANS. THEY MUST'VE JUST MADE THIS ONE TO TRY AND DENY ME MY PAIN AND SUFFERING THAT THEY OWE ME!"

And when she's asked to produce the can, she won't be able to show any evidence.

[Lillfilly]

"Drink Responsi... erm.. uh.... THAT WASN'T ON MY BABY'S CANS. THEY MUST'VE JUST MADE THIS ONE TO TRY AND DENY ME MY PAIN AND SUFFERING THAT THEY OWE ME!"

Yeah, I know better than that; those cans have had those warnings forever. But I can easily see it happening for real; happened on a drug I was prescribed that had a side effect that was NOT warned about on the box. NOW it's the biggest thing on the box, magazine ads, and tv ads. I think the mother should have paid more attention to what the daughter was drinking; I don't think it's healthy for anyone under 18 to drink that or monster or use weight loss pills with stimulants, etc.

[Nekojin]

Why would anyone WANT to drink those nasty drinks? There are better ways to get a large dose of caffeine that taste so much better. =>_<=

(And no, I've never been an energy drink fan, but I've sampled several to see what the fuss was about. I even have an amusing anecdote about them... but now's not the time)

[woodensunshine]

My coworker mentioned this article to me. They constantly poke fun at my additiction to caffeine (NOS and Red Bull, Monster is gross).

The girl was 14, had a preexisting heart condition and drank two cans of Monster in a 24 hour period. That's a recipe for bad news there. I'm pretty sure that mom is going to lose her suit.

[static]

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[Greenday]

I just got a can of Monster I had the other day from the recycling bin.

Caffeine is not stated in large letters anywhere on the can (This is the low carb can). But if you look on the ingredients, it says the caffeine is clearly a large ingredient. Also, it says people with heart problems should not consume the drink.

[Andara Bledin]

What it boils down to is that if you have a heart condition, stay the hell away from stimulants.

If you don't know that energy drinks are pretty much all stimulant, then you shouldn't be allowed outside without a keeper.

^-.-^

[crashhelmet]

if I remember right, regular Monster has about 80mg of caffeine, per serving. The cans are usually listed as "2 Servings," so that would be about 160mg of caffeine. Their Kona Coffee flavored ones (whatever they're called) have like 240mg of caffeine.

None of them are really fatal levels, but 2 full cans for someone with a heart condition could possibly cause issues. Especially if they're drank one after the other.

[Andara Bledin]

From what I got of the articles, she didn't drink one after the other. She had one one day, and then drank the second the next day. Whether there was sleep or not between those times, I cannot say, only that the drinks were drunk within a 24 hours of each other.

^-.-^

[Lace Neil Singer]

When you have a condition, an illness or an allergy it's your responsibility to avoid things that aggravate it. The girl either didn't pay attention to what she was drinking or didn't care, and the same goes for her mother. The ingredients are clearly labelled.

This, exactly. Sadly, there seems to be a trend nowadays for people with conditions etc to expect the world to bend over backwards for them, rather than for them to take responsibility for their condition. Like pregnant women who think that they should get to queue jump. Or this letter I read on one of those sites where people complain to companies; this woman was saying she messed herself cuz she had a bowel condition and the staff wouldn't let her use the staff loo. Taking out the fact that since she has the condition she should take responsibility, there was also the fact that she wasted time arguing with the staff when you'd expect someone in that situation to just gasp out "Where's the nearest public loo!" and then run.

I compare the situation in the OP as to my decision to wear high heels despite a weakened right ankle. I know full well that my ankle is weak due to hurting it in a motorbike accident and that it could give way and send me flying, but I choose to wear high heels. This girl knew that she had a heart condition but still chose to drink the energy drink. It's a tragedy that she died, but the only person to blame for it is herself. I feel for her mother, but am still hoping that the case gets thrown out and she has to pay court costs.