Red Bull is being sued for wrongful death after a healthy 33-year-old man collapsed dead on a basketball court after gulping the high-caffeine drink.
The lawsuit, for $85 million, is believed to be the first wrongful death suit against the world's largest energy drink company.
Construction worker Cory Terry - survived by a 13-year-old son - was healthy, active and a non-smoker, his grandmother, Patricia Terry, said. However, he regularly drank large amounts of Red Bull.
"He drank that stuff all the time," she said. "He said it perked him up."
About a year ago, Terry downed a can of Red Bull about 45 minutes into a basketball game. Shortly after, he grew dizzy, collapsed and died. Doctors discovered that he had suffered idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), meaning that his heart had simply stopped. The medical report noted that he had consumed Red Bull right before the attack.
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The FDA has confirmed at least 18 deaths potentially linked to energy drinks. Between 2004 and 2012, it received 21 reports from healthcare providers who suspected Red Bull of causing side effects ranging from fatigue and dizziness to chest pain.
Indeed, the FDA is already investigating whether energy drinks might have led to the deaths of five separate people, including a 14-year-old who fell dead after drinking two 24-ounce Monster beverages over the course of two days.
I used to drink a lot of Monsters and my wife drank four Red Bulls a day before we had our daughter. Now I look on in disgust when I see one of my co-workers desks littered with energy drinks. I almost look at them in the same light as smokers. Gross and unnecessary.
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