Pa. woman sues Dunkin' Donuts over sugar in coffee

[rug]

PHILADELPHIA - A Philadelphia woman is suing Dunkin' Donuts, saying a worker mistakenly put sugar in her coffee that ultimately caused her to go into diabetic shock.

Danielle Jordan's lawsuit claims she asked for artificial sweetener to be added to her coffee during a June 2009 visit. Jordan claims she downed the drink and experienced dizziness, light-headedness and ended up making an emergency trip to the hospital.

A legal liaison for the Canton, Mass.-based doughnut chain told the Philadelphia Daily News she couldn't comment on the case. But she says employees only provide customers with the order they ask for.

The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages. A phone message was left for Jordan's attorney.

http://www.philly.com/philly/wires/ap/news/nation_world/20110603_ap_pawomansuesdunkindonutsoversugarincoffee.html?ref=more-like-this

On National Donut Day no less.

[digonswine]

1. Cripes-you can tell the difference!

[IDemo]

2. Sounds highly suspect

It's too little blood glucose that causes hypoglycemia, not too much. If anything, her blood glucose level might have risen to a point where she felt uncomfortable and thirsty, but certainly not with the dizziness and light headed feelings that are the trademarks of too few carbohydrates, too much insulin, or too much activity.

Type 1 here for nearly 50 years.

[Taverner]

11. Interesting

Do different types of diabetics react to different sugars differently?

[IDemo]

17. Different sugars - fructose, lactose, etc. may metabolize at different rates

but they will all ultimately raise blood glucose levels, which will normally be in the 80 to 110 mg/dl range in non-diabetics. Either a Type 1 or 2 would see an increase over this level with uncorrected carbohydrate intake, which could result in hyperglycemia and eventually ketoacidosis if left uncontrolled for too long. You might experience thirst and the urge to urinate more often, possibly with blurred vision. But the dizziness and shock described in the OP are classic signs of too low a blood glucose level, not too high. If she were approaching diabetic coma due to extreme high sugar, it wouldn't be due just to a spoonful or two of sugar in her coffee - her diet/insulin/exercise regimen would have to be completely out of control for her to be hitting a coma situation.

[FLPanhandle]

3. If she has a restriction on what can be added to her food, she should have done it herself

Asking a Dunkin' Donuts worker to maintain your life is just stupid.

[frylock]

16. my thoughts as well

[idiotgardener]

18. I'm pretty surprised the sugar isn't self-serve

Can't remember the last time a place added sweetener for me.

[kestrel91316]

4. Sweeten your own frickin' coffee, lady.

[Shagbark Hickory]

5. If she goes to a Duncan Donuts expecting to buy ANYTHING without sugar, then the Duncan Donuts ought

to sue her.
For recklessly endangering herself.

[Stevenmarc]

6. As much as I dislike DD they aren't responsible for her lazy ass

If adding the wrong sweetner is that major a health issue then add your own sweetener

[jberryhill]

14. And if your health insurance company says Dunkin Donuts liability insurer should pay your bills

Then what, pray tell, do you think happens?

[pipi_k]

7. I've learned to put my own sugar in, but that wasn't the issue the time...

I ordered a decaf from a DD drive-through and suspect I was given a regular instead.

I have panic disorder. Sometimes even decaf can give me anxiety. But this was a full blown hair pulling, screaming and crying panic attack. It was nasty. :(

[Taverner]

8. Sounds like her case is valid

Of course - I've always felt they should let us decide how much sugar, or substitute we want...

[IDemo]

9. See #2 above

[ProgressiveProfessor]

10. Sounds like payoff shopping to me

As others have said, diabetics know better and mod their own food. I am a Type II, but always carry my own sweetener and put on my own condiments. It is how we survive

[jberryhill]

12. "during a June 2009 visit" - key tipoff here folks

She's likely been attempting to settle the claim, but is reaching a statute of limitations.

So the case was filed to toll the statute and provide more time for settlement to conclude.

No big whoop, really, since they are all probably waiting for the insurer to pay out.

If she asked for non-sugar sweetener, and they gave her sugar, and she got hurt then, yes, she's likely entitled to something. Not a million dollar payday, but if she doesn't have adequate insurance, then that's gotta get paid.

In fact, it could be HER HEALTH INSURER who is forcing the claim, in order to get DD's INSURER to pay the medical bills.

I really wish folks understood how this systematically works among insurance companies.

http://www.statutes-of-limitations.com/state/pennsylvania

Negligence / Personal Injury
2 Years with Discovery Rule.


Now, lets see... June 2009 + 2 years = June 2011 Whaddya know, it's June 2011!

Bottom line - two insurance companies are having a standoff over who is going to pay her bills. THAT is why this stuff happens.

Incidentally, those people who say tort reform is needed in order to cut medical costs ALSO don't get that a lot of litigation arises among precisely these kinds of disputes among insurers. If we had a rational health insurance system, it would also ELIMINATE A LOT OF LITIGATION.

[BOG PERSON]

13. that sounds pretty reasonable actually

thanks for clearing that up.

[jberryhill]

15. I really wish the "OMG crazy lawsuit" contingent would try to understand this crap

At least a little.

What happens today is that people get left high and dry with all kinds of medical bills because the health insurance companies will not pay if there is the HINT that some other insurance company would be primary on the claim.

The insurance companies FORCE this kind of litigation and then go whining "oh, there's too much litigation".

And then the nitwit brigade eats it right up off the floor upon which the insurance companies vomited it.

So, what happens is that you get hurt, your health insurance doesn't pay, and then you are caught in limbo while the insurance companies use you as a pawn in their game. In order to get your bills paid, you have to agree to litigate claims like this.

[spanone]

19. she needs to have her tastebuds checked

[Obamanaut]

20. Every place I've been to for coffee in the last several years with Miz O, we've

added our own sweetner (Miz O uses sugar, I only add artificial sweetner occasionally - Type II). If we use the drive in window, the coffee is plain with little packets of sugar/sweetner in the bag/tray, and we add it ourselves.

[SixString]

21. Carlyle Group population control...

Just sayin'

:tinfoilhat: