Our thoughts and prayers go out to Sean Cripe and the entire the family of Davis Cripe. News outlets report that Davis Cripe, age 16, died on April 26, 2017 after consuming a Mountain Dew, a caffè latte and an energy drink within a couple of hours. The cause of death, according to the coroner was “Caffeine induced cardiac event causing a probable arrhythmia.” The Coroner said Cripe was healthy and did not have any prior medical problems. We would also like to thank the father of Sean for sending a strong message out to the public that parents should not allow the kids to consume energy drinks. Mr. Cripe explained:

“It wasn’t a car crash that took his life,” Sean Cripe said of his 16-year-old son Davis, according to USA Today. “Instead, it was an energy drink. Parents, please talk to your kids about these energy drinks. And teenagers and students: please stop buying them.”

The FDA has known about the dangers of energy drinks since at least 2012 when it was reported that a 14-year-old girl from Maryland died of a cardiac arrhythmia. Since then, there have been dozens, if not hundreds, of adverse event reports related to energy drinks filed with the FDA including numerous deaths and heart attacks. However, the FDA has not acted to protect the public—-including our children and teenagers—from this deadly product. Some of the most prominent energy drink companies target their marketing at teenagers and young adults.

Our law firm has been at the forefront of litigation against energy drink companies. We have represented numerous families of teens and young adults who have died after consuming energy drinks. Most often, the cause of death is a heart attack or stroke. In fact, the case of Stacy Thomas v. ENERGY DRINK COMPANY (Case RIC 1507871) is scheduled to go to trial at the end of May, 2017 in Riverside, California. Ms. Thomas claims to have permanent injuries as a result of a heart attack triggered by her consumption of an energy drink. For a free consultation about any injury you or your loved ones sustained after consuming an energy drink, please call us at (888) 213-8140.