A lunch date turned tragic after Jan Harding served herself sweet tea at a Utah restaurant, only to find she had drank a highly toxic chemical, The Associated Press reported.
Harding, 67, was with her husband and friends at Dickey's Barbecue Pit in South Jordan on Sunday when she took a sip, spit it out and said "I think I just drank acid."
Now, just five days since the freak accident, Harding is in critical condition at University of Utah's burn unit, according to the Los Angeles Times.
But how did a chemical get into sweet tea?
Authorities said the tea had a highly toxic industrial cleaning solution used for degreasing deep fryers, AP reported. After investigating, officials and a restaurant manager told the Harding's that a worker made the dire mistake of confusing the toxic cleaning product with sugar. The employee then mixed large amounts of the cleaner into the iced-tea dispenser, AP reported.
"It's disturbing that this kind of toxic, poisonous material would be in the food prep area and somehow find its way into the iced tea," Paxton Guymon, the family's lawyer, told AP. "I don't know how something like that can happen."
Doctors discovered that Jan has deep ulcerated burns in her upper esophagus and mouth, AP reported. Guymon said Jan is fighting for her life and has lost the ability to speak.
Police are still investigating the incident, though it is believed to be accidental.
Owner of the Dickey's Barbecue in South Jordan released a statement Thursday saying he is praying for Jan and is cooperating with investigators.
Guymon told AP he is waiting to determine what legal action they will take until the police finish their investigation.
It is unknown if the employee responsible still works at the restaurant, AP reported. It is also unlikely that the restaurant will be fined or shut down, said Jeff Oaks, Salt Lake County Health Department's Food Protection Bureau manager.
Oaks did say his department is awaiting the criminal investigation's result to decide whether or not any violations will be issued against the restaurant.
For now, Guymon says Jan's husband, Jim, and their children are praying for her recovery and are by her side, though they are disappointed with the doctors' findings.
"The burns were deeper and more extensive than we hoped," Guymon said Friday.
