Readers in the Mt. Laurel area will be saddened to hear of an elderly New Jersey woman who, according to a recent wrongful death claim, died from drinking the recommended dosage of an herbal health drink. The family of the 88-year-old said that for three months she consumed the supplement and suffered heart damage and kidney failure as a result.
A contaminated supply of the defective product reportedly made its way out of the factory, and the bad drink powder mistakenly contained 1000 times the recommended dose of Vitamin D. Each serving, says the family’s wrongful death suit, contained one million units of Vitamin D rather than the usual 1000. It was said that the elderly woman drank 60 servings of the toxic liquid between November 2009 and January 2010.
Even the so-called fitness guru who sponsors the herbal supplement said that he experienced painful fatigue and bodily pain after drinking two doses per day over the course of a month. It was also said that the nutritionist suffered cracks and bleeding in his feet as a result of the bad batch of supplement. In April of last year, he sued the manufacturer of the drink powder.
Other customers have reported similar ailments, and six were reportedly hospitalized with kidney damage.
The family of the elderly New Jersey woman says that prior to consuming the toxic drink, she was in good health. Their wrongful death claim says that she suffered extremely severe and life-threatening injuries before she passed away.
As readers in New Jersey know, product manufacturers have an obligation to ensure that their products are reasonably safe for the consumer. When a manufacturer’s negligence causes personal injury, individuals may have grounds to file a products liability claim to secure compensation for damages. And when another party’s reckless or negligent behavior results in someone’s death, the family may have a right to compensation through a wrongful death claim. Such a claim can also help prevent future injuries by holding responsible parties accountable.
Source: Daily Mail, “Elderly New Jersey woman suffered ‘extremely painful, severe’ injuries before dying after drinking toxic nutritional health supplement,” Hannah Rand, Jan. 19, 2012