Chicago-based Four Loko manufacturer Phusion Projects is being sued for wrongful death by the family of a 15-year old boy who was the victim of a pedestrian accident after drinking two Four Loko beverages.  Four Loko is a highly caffeinated and alcoholic beverage that, according to the family, is marketed towards underaged drinkers and college-aged kids.

The 15-year old was able to purchase two of the alcoholic beverages at a convenience store and drank them at a concert in the fall of 2010.  Concert officials later called the boy's mother to pick him up because he was acting "erratic and agitated."  The boy's mother drove him home but on the way he managed to get out of the vehicle and take off running.  The boy ran into a highway with heavy traffic, fell down, and was hit by a car.  The next day he passed away.

A few weeks after the tragic accident Phusion Projects announced that they were removing caffeine, guarana, and taurine from Four Loko beverages.  The lawsuit states that Phusion Projects was "careless and negligent" for selling caffeinated, alcoholic beverages that "desensitize users to the symptoms of intoxication and increases the potential for alcohol-related harm." 

Out utmost sympathies are with the boy's family and friends.