ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. — The mother of an Illinois woman who died at a St. Louis County hospital in 2020 has filed a wrongful death lawsuit.
Kayla Stagner, 32, died on May 30, 2020, at SSM Health St. Clare Hospital in Fenton.
According to the lawsuit, the St. Louis County Medical Examiner’s office said her death was due to acute methanol intoxication.
The lawsuit said her death was believed to have occurred when she drank several ounces of Blumen Advanced Instant Sanitizer Clear. The sanitizer was from the Sam’s Club in Maplewood.
The lawsuit claims the active ingredient listed on the label was ethanol, the type used in alcoholic beverages. Instead, the sanitizer contained methanol, which was not listed on the label.
"Testing done in connection with the autopsy on the hand sanitizer remaining in the bottle showed it contained deadly levels of methanol, a solvent and ingredient in antifreeze, which if ingested in sufficient amounts is deadly to most adults. Methanol was not listed on the Blumen Advanced Instant Hand Sanitizer Clear label," the lawsuit stated.
Stagner’s family is seeking $75,000 in damages from the sanitizer company and Sam’s Club.