The news media is reporting that another teenager has died as a result of consuming energy drinks. Sixteen-year-old Lanna Hamann was apparently on a vacation in Mexico and was on the beach with friends drinking energy drinks. Shortly thereafter, she went into cardiac arrest and died.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Lanna’s family and friends. Energy drinks can be dangerous and even deadly to anyone with an underlying heart condition. Many teenagers, young people and even adults have underlying heart conditions that have not yet been diagnosed. When these individuals consume energy drinks they put themselves at great risk for heart attacks and other adverse events. In the last several years there has been a huge spike in adverse event reports related to energy drink consumption with the FDA and Poison Control Centers.

We believe that one of the biggest problems with energy drink companies is that they target a lot of their marketing to teenagers. For example, Monster Beverage Corporation uses its Monster Army to recruit kids in their teens to consume energy drinks.

These children, some of whom are on other stimulants for asthma or ADHD, may have underlying heart conditions that have not yet been diagnosed because of their youth. Parents need to be aware of this situation and need to make sure that they do not allow their kids to consume energy drinks. The American Academy of Pediatrics has determined that energy drinks provide no therapeutic benefit to kids and recommend that children do not consume them.

Here in Maryland, we worked hard to get a bill passed that would ban the sale of energy drinks to minors. Unfortunately, due to heavy lobbying by the American Beverage Association and the Energy Drink Companies, the bill did not pass. The bill was supported by practically the entire Maryland Medical Community.

Our firm represents individuals all over the USA who have suffered serious injuries after consuming energy drinks. If you or someone you know has been injured as a result of energy drink consumption, call us at (888) 213-8140 or visit our website at www.goldbergfinnegan.com.