According to nydailynews.com, a Virginia teen hopped up on two cans of the energy beer Four Loko then started acting strangely, ran into traffic and was fatally hit by an SUV. The parents of Bo Rupp, the 15 year old that died, are suing Phusion Projects of Chicago for the death of their son on September 25. I guess that’s why they named it Four Loko. I mean “Loko” must have been used to replace “Loco”, which is “crazy” in spanish.

The lawsuit stated that Bo and his friends bought the drink at a gas station and then went to a concert, but was kicked out for being intoxicated. He was later picked up by his mother, but on their way home Bo began to display signs of paranoia. He jumped out of the car and was then hit by the passing SUV. Bo died in the hospital a day later. 

First of all why is a 15 year old drinking beer (it’s very common but still had to ask)? And why does the beer have so much alcohol? It is reported that Four Loko contains the same amount of alcohol as approximately five beers and as much caffeine as one cup of Starbucks coffee, which can disguise the effects of the alcohol. No wonder this beer is called “Blackout in a can”. 

Four Loko has been banned in many states, and its manufactures changed the recipe to be safer since it sparked outrage among health officials in 2010. The beer was the said to have caused alcohol poisoning for many college students. Therefore, if the beer has been banned, why was it being sold at the gas station in Virginia? Did they not get the memo? 

A spokesperson for Phusion Projects stated that the teen’s death was a tragedy, but the company bore no responsibility and that their product is intended for people of the legal drinking age, 21. They have a point but still, what could ever possess them to make a beer with such a “heavy prescription for death” to begin with? That puzzles me.

Source: Four Loko blamed in death of 15 year old