A Kansas City woman has filed a lawsuit against the Family Dollar store on Troost Avenue after suffering injuries and mental distress from drinking a bottle of soda that had been laced with laxatives on September 10.
In an effort to both prank and teach an employee a lesson about stealing, the store’s assistant manager put a total of 50 laxative pills into two soda bottles in the employee refrigerator in the back of the store, an area off-limits to customers. After spiking the drinks, the assistant manager glued the bottles shut to hide evidence that they had been tampered with.
The target for this prank had built a reputation for eating and drinking food the refrigerator that did not belong to him, and acted as he was expected to. Unfortunately, he noticed the laxatives that hadn’t completely dissolved into the soda and made the poor decision of moving the drugged bottles into a merchandise cooler in the front of the store.
It was there that Barbara J. Nelson picked up one of the laxative-saturated colas. After drinking part of the bottle, she noticed the undissolved tablets floating in her soda and returned to the store to seek a refund or exchange and perhaps find out what was in her soda. When she arrived, the drugs began working and 54-year-old woman had to be transported to a hospital via ambulance, where she was treated for dehydration and cramps caused by the episode, which was made exacerbated by her preexisting acid reflux disorder. She claims to have also suffered a panic attack due to the incident’s proximity to September 11th.
The two Family Dollar Employees have since been arrested, but no official charges have been filed.
After her hospital stay, Nelson was contacted by the company and offered a $200 gift card. However, Nelson’s attorney is looking to seek a six-figure decision due to the various layers of negligence present in this unfortunate accident in addition to punitive damages, compensation for hospital expenses, and psychological trauma.
If you have been injured by the dangerous and irresponsible actions of another person, hiring a personal injury lawyer can empower you to seek compensation for your accident-related expenses.
