Utah Woman Spits Out Toxic Tea in Surveillance Footage
Tea laced with lye burned through her throat, esophagus.
— -- Newly released surveillance video shows the moment a Utah woman was nearly killed when she drank a poisoned cup of tea.
In the video, Jan Harding, 67, can be seen taking a single sip from a cup of iced tea she poured out of a self-serve machine at Dickey's Barbeque, a restaurant in South Jordan, Utah.
Harding's iced tea was laced with lye, an odorless chemical that looks like sugar, is used for degreasing deep fryers and is the active ingredient in Drano.
In the video taken on Aug. 10, Harding immediately spits out the drink and rinses out her mouth. She braces herself against the counter until restaurant staff arrive.
The chemical seared through Harding's esophagus, leaving deep, ulcerated burns. She was hospitalized for two weeks.
Authorities told The Associated Press they believe a restaurant employee mistakenly poured the lye into the iced tea machine.
Harding and her family have decided not to file charges against the restaurant, the AP reported.
Instead, Harding and her husband will enter into mediation with Dickey's Barbecue later this year, according to the AP.