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A suburban Pittsburgh teen went into cardiac arrest after drinking the highly caffeinated “Charged Lemonade” from Panera Bread, according to a lawsuit — the fourth person to allegedly suffer a fatal or near-fatal heart issue before the company finally pulled the beverage from stores this month.

Luke Adams, 18, of Monroeville, Penn., was “unresponsive” and had to be revived with defibrillators at a local movie theater after ordering a Mango Yuzu Citrus “Charged Lemonade” on March 9, according to the complaint filed Monday in Philadelphia federal court.

The suit was lodged by Philadelphia-based attorney Elizabeth Crawford, who is representing three other plaintiffs in cases against the fast-food chain over alleged heart scares linked to “Charged Lemonade” — including by families of two people who died.

Adams’ near-death experience wasn’t made public until May 4, when it was reported by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

Days later, Panera Bread announced it was discontinuing the sale of the “Charged Lemonade” — which has more caffeine in its large size than a 12-ounce Red Bull and a 16-ounce Monster Energy Drink combined.

Luke Adams case is a tragic example of why the Panera Charged Lemonade is an inherently dangerous product and needed to be removed from the market,” Crawford told The Post on Tuesday.

“Luke was a healthy 18-year-old with no underlying medical conditions before he drank one large Panera Charged Lemonade and went into cardiac arrest. He would have died if it was not for the heroic efforts of the medical professionals in the movie theater and at the hospital.”

Adams ordered the Charged Lemonade along with a chicken sandwich before catching a 7 p.m. screening of “Dune 2” with his pals at the Cinemark Monroeville Mall movie theater, according to the lawsuit.

About two-and-half hours into the film, one of his friends noticed that Adams was “making unusual sounds,” the lawsuit said.

“It was at this time that it was discovered that Luke was in sudden cardiac arrest,” read the complaint.

Adams was “unresponsive,” leading his friends and nearby good Samaritans to frantically call 911.

However, two nurses and cardiologist who happened to be in the theater and began administering CPR on Adams within minutes, according to the lawsuit

The medical professionals then used a defibrillator to shock Adams in an effort to return his heart to normal rhythm, the complaint said.

Adams was then rushed to a local hospital, where medical officials noticed that he was suffering from “seizure activity,” according to the lawsuit.

He was placed in intensive care, where he was intubated and put on a ventilator due to acute respiratory failure, the complaint said.

While in the ICU, Adams suffered from a second seizure, according to the complaint. He eventually regained consciousness two days later.

The lawsuit included a screenshot of a neurological report which found that Adams’ seizures were the result of “unclear etiology, possibly related to cardiac arrest secondary to caffeine intake from Panera Charged Lemonade.”

A cardiology report attached to the complaint cited “heavy caffeine intake” as the “only potential trigger” of Adams’ cardiac arrest.

Adams was fitted with a subcutaneous implantable cardioverter defibrillator which is connected to his heart. The pacemaker has been “indefinitely implanted for preemptive secondary prevention,” according to the lawsuit.

The Post has sought comment from the hospital and Panera Bread.

The chain boasts nearly 2,200 locations across the US and is incorporated in Delaware.

Last In October, Dennis Brown, 46, suffered a fatal “cardiac event” while walking home from a Panera Bread in Fleming Island, Fla.

Brown, who suffered from high blood pressure as well as a developmental delay, died after consuming a “Charged Lemonade” and two additional refills of the drink, according to a wrongful death lawsuit filed by Crawford in Delaware Superior Court last year,

A regular “Charged Lemonade” contains 260 milligrams of caffeine while a large beverage has 390 milligrams, according to Panera Bread’s web site.

In response to Brown’s death, Panera Bread said it “stands firmly by the safety of our products.”

Panera expresses our deep sympathy for Mr. Browns family, the statement said.

Based on our investigation we believe his unfortunate passing was not caused by one of the companys products. We view this lawsuit, which was filed by the same law firm as a previous claim, to be equally without merit.

Brown’s lawsuit was filed shortly after the family of Sarah Katz, a 21-year-old student at the University of Pennsylvania, alleged in a complaint that she suffered a fatal cardiac arrest after consuming a Charged Lemonade in 2022.

Earlier this year, a 28-year-old Rhode Island woman, Lauren Skerritt, filed suit against Panera Bread.

She said that she was rushed to the emergency room and suffered debilitating injuries, including irregular heartbeat, after consuming more than two servings of the Charged Lemonade drink.

Skerritt alleged in court papers filed in Delaware superior court that she has been experiencing recurrent episodes of rapid heartbeat that occur suddenly and without pattern.

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Sports

Heavy rain helps Elliott to pole for Dover Cup race

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Heavy rain helps Elliott to pole for Dover Cup race

DOVER, Del. — Chase Elliott took advantage of heavy rain at Dover Motor Speedway to earn the pole for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race.

Elliott and the rest of the field never got to turn a scheduled practice or qualifying lap on Saturday because of rain that pounded the concrete mile track. Dover is scheduled to hold its first July race since the track’s first one in 1969.

Elliott has two wins and 10 top-five finishes in 14 career races at Dover.

Chase Briscoe starts second, followed by Christopher Bell, Tyler Reddick and William Byron. Shane van Gisbergen, last week’s winner at Sonoma Raceway, Michael McDowell, Joey Logano, Ty Gibbs and Kyle Busch complete the top 10.

Logano is set to become the youngest driver in NASCAR history with 600 career starts.

Logano will be 35 years, 1 month, 26 days old when he hits No. 600 on Sunday at Dover Motor Speedway. He will top seven-time NASCAR champion and Hall of Famer Richard Petty by six months.

The midseason tournament that pays $1 million to the winner pits Ty Dillon vs. John Hunter Nemechek and Reddick vs. Gibbs in the head-to-head challenge at Dover.

The winners face off next week at Indianapolis. Reddick is the betting favorite to win it all, according to Sportsbook.

All four drivers are winless this season.

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Sports

Hamlin on 23XI trial: ‘All will be exposed’

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Hamlin on 23XI trial: 'All will be exposed'

DOVER, Del. — NASCAR race team owner Denny Hamlin remained undeterred in the wake of another setback in court, vowing “all will be exposed” in the scheduled December trial as part of 23XI Racing’s federal antitrust suit against the auto racing series.

A federal judge on Thursday rejected a request from 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports to continue racing with charters while they battle NASCAR in court, meaning their six cars will race as open entries this weekend at Dover, next week at Indianapolis and perhaps longer than that in a move the teams say would put them at risk of going out of business.

U.S. District Judge Kenneth Bell denied the teams’ bid for a temporary restraining order, saying they will make races over the next couple of weeks and they won’t lose their drivers or sponsors before his decision on a preliminary injunction.

Bell left open the possibility of reconsidering his decision if things change over the next two weeks.

After this weekend, the cars affected may need to qualify on speed if 41 entries are listed – a possibility now that starting spots have opened.

The case has a Dec. 1 trial date, but the two teams are fighting to be recognized as chartered for the current season, which has 16 races left. A charter guarantees one of the 40 spots in the field each week, but also a base amount of money paid out each week.

“If you want answers, you want to understand why all this is happening, come Dec. 1, you’ll get the answers that you’re looking for,” Hamlin said Saturday at Dover Motor Speedway. “All will be exposed.”

23XI, which is co-owned by retired NBA great Michael Jordan, and FRM filed their federal suit against NASCAR last year after they were the only two organizations out of 15 to reject NASCAR’s extension offer on charters.

Jordan and FRM owner Bob Jenkins won an injunction to recognize 23XI and FRM as chartered for the season, but the ruling was overturned on appeal earlier this month, sending the case back to Bell.

Hamlin, a three-time Daytona 500 winner driving for Joe Gibbs Racing, co-owns 23XI with Jordan and said they were prepared to send Tyler Reddick, Bubba Wallace and Riley Herbst to the track each week as open teams. They sought the restraining order Monday, claiming that through discovery they learned NASCAR planned to immediately begin the process of selling the six charters which would put “plaintiffs in irreparable jeopardy of never getting their charters back and going out of business.”

Hamlin said none of the setbacks have made him second-guess the decision to file the lawsuit.

“Dec. 1 is all that matters. Mark your calendar,” Hamlin said. “I’d love to be doing other things. I’ve got a lot going on. When I get in the car (today), nothing else is going to matter other than that. I always give my team 100%. I always prepare whether I have side jobs, side hustles, more kids, that all matters, but I always give my team all the time that they need to make sure that when I step in, I’m 100% committed.”

Reddick, who has a clause that allows him to become a free agent if the team loses its charter, declined comment Saturday on all questions connected to his future and the lawsuit. Hamlin also declined to comment on Reddick’s future with 23XI Racing.

Reddick, one of four drivers left in NASCAR’s $1 million In-season Challenge, was last year’s regular-season champion and raced for the Cup Series championship in the season finale. But none of the six drivers affected by the court ruling are locked into this year’s playoffs.

Making the field won’t be an issue this weekend at Dover as fewer than the maximum 40 cars are entered. But should 41 cars show up anywhere this season, someone slow will be sent home and that means lost revenue and a lost chance to win points in the standings.

“Nothing changes from my end, obviously, and nothing changes from inside the shop,” Front Row Motorsports driver Zane Smith said. “There’s not typically even enough cars to worry about transferring in.”

Smith, 24th in the standings and someone who would likely need a win to qualify for NASCAR’s playoffs, said he stood behind Jenkins in his acrimonious legal fight that has loomed over the stock car series for months.

“I leave all that up to them,” Smith said, “but my job is to go get the 38 the best finish I can.”

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Technology

Astronomer CEO Andy Byron resigns after viral Coldplay kiss-cam controversy

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Astronomer CEO Andy Byron resigns after viral Coldplay kiss-cam controversy

Chris Martin of Coldplay performs at the O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire on October 12, 2021 in London, England.

Simone Joyner | Getty Images Entertainment | Getty Images

Astronomer, the technology company that faced backlash after its CEO was allegedly caught in an affair at a Coldplay concert, said the CEO has resigned, the company announced Saturday.

“Andy Byron has tendered his resignation, and the Board of Directors has accepted,” the company said in a statement. “The Board will begin a search for our next Chief Executive as Cofounder and Chief Product Officer Pete DeJoy continues to serve as interim CEO.”

Byron was shown on a big screen at a Coldplay concert on Wednesday with his arms around the company’s chief people officer, Kristin Cabot. Byron, who is married with children, immediately hid when the couple was shown on screen. Lead singer Chris Martin said, “Either they’re having an affair or they’re just very shy.” A concert attendee’s video of the affair went viral.

In May, Astronomer announced a $93 million investment round led by Bain Ventures and other investors, including Salesforce Ventures.

Byron’s resignation comes after Astronomer said Friday that it had launched a “formal investigation” into the matter, and the CEO was placed on administrative leave.

“Before this week, we were known as a pioneer in the DataOps space, helping data teams power everything from modern analytics to production AI,” the company said in its Saturday statement. “Our leaders are expected to set the standard in both conduct and accountability, and recently, that standard was not met.”

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