News

Woman injured by lye-laced sweet tea at Utah Dickey's

A 67-year-old Utah woman suffered severe burns to her mouth and throat after drinking sweet tea laced with lye at a Dickey's Barbecue Pit in Utah.

August 18, 2014

A 67-year-old Utah woman suffered severe burns to her mouth and throat after drinking sweet tea laced with lye at a Dickey's Barbecue Pit in Utah, reports the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.

Jan Harding is showing signs of improvement since being stricken on Saturday.

The heavy-duty cleaning product, meant for degreasing deep fryers, was unintentionally mixed into a bag of sugar. The mixture was later added to the iced tea dispenser.

Harding was the only victim. Dickey's employees disposed of the remaining tea after she was injured, according to police.

County health officials in the Salt Lake City suburb where the incident occurred have inspected the restaurant and found all chemicals properly labeled and separated from food items. The restaurant remains open.

Dickey's issued the following statement:

"The entire Dickey's family is saddened by the events that occurred in Utah and takes this incident very seriously.  We are keeping the entire Harding family in our thoughts and prayers during this difficult time.

"We would like to reassure the public that this was an isolated incident in South Jordan, Utah.  Nothing like this has occurred in the 73 years we have operated. There is nothing more important to us than the trust and safety of our guests. The independent owner of the South Jordan location is deeply saddened by this incident; he is fully cooperating with authorities as they investigate how this tragic event occurred. The health inspector was called to the location during the incident and the store passed all requirements to remain open. The incident is still under investigation."

No arrests have been made and no charges have been filed.