SALT LAKE CITY — Several months after a woman suffered burns to her esophagus after drinking sweet tea tainted with cleaning chemicals at a Dickey’s restaurant in South Jordan, the woman’s family and the franchise have completed mediation and said changes have been made to prevent similar events in the future.
Jan Harding, 67, was the first person to drink the sweet tea that day, and it was later determined that a chemical used to clean deep fryers had been added by mistake, with the person believing the white powder to be sugar.
The Hardings have said in the past their main goal is to see changes to the way such chemicals are labeled in restaurants, and on Thursday they and Dickey’s Barbecue Restaurants, Inc. released a joint press release, stating that “they have amicably resolved all claims between them.” The release stated that “extensive changes” have been put into place to prevent accidents like this one in the future.
The moments leading up to the incident were captured on surveillance cameras, click here for the footage. Harding was in critical condition for some time after the incident, and she spoke to FOX 13 News about her recovery earlier this year.
The specific details of mediation are not clear at this time, but FOX 13 News has reached out to the attorney for the Harding family for more information. The full text of the statement is available below.
Harding and Dickey's Joint Press Release
