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Steelers Fan Says He Was Poisoned, Left Blind At Chicago Bar

Zack Heddinger: 'I've Basically Been Blind For Two Months'

POSTED: 4:20 pm EST November 16, 2009
UPDATED: 4:15 pm EST November 20, 2009

A Steelers fan, left blind and living with brain damage, says the effects were the result of being poisoned at a Chicago bar following a game in September.

"I haven't been able to see. I've basically been blind for two months," said Zack Heddinger.

Video: Watch Michelle Wright's Report

Heddinger told Channel 4 Action News anchor Michelle Wright that he and a few friends went to a bar following the Steelers' 17-14 loss to the Bears at Soldier Field on Sept. 20.

Zack Heddinger

Heddinger said he and his friends were trash talking with Bears fans inside Kitty O'Shea's, but can't remember what else happened.

"Basically, I guess, my buddies had gotten into an altercation and they offered a drink as a peacemaker from what I understand," said Heddinger.

Not long after taking the drink, Heddinger passed out and was rushed to a nearby hospital, his heart stopping four times.

At first, doctors thought he had too much to drink, but realized there was more to it.

"They thought it was antifreeze or something like that …because it was so strong," said Heddinger.

Heddinger's family rushed to Chicago to be with him after doctors told them he wasn't going to make.

"I literally watched him say, within a matter of hours, 'I'm getting really scared. I can't see anything,'" said sister Lisa.

Doctors suspect his drink may have been spiked with toxic grain alcohol.

"I don’t think they tried to kill me. I think they tried to hurt me, but the killing came pretty close," said Heddinger.

A spokesperson for Kitty O'Shea's said on Tuesday that the bar is cooperating fully with an ongoing police investigation.

"We cannot confirm whether we are looking at surveillance video," the Chicago Police Department told Wright by phone. "The Area 3 detective division is looking into the matter."

Heddinger celebrated his 46th birthday on Monday and is undergoing oxygen treatments in hopes of regaining some of his vision. He hopes to be able to return to his job as a district manager for a jewelry company.

"Steeler Nation isn't just in Pittsburgh, it's everywhere, and I just hate for Chicago to be a city that Steelers Nation doesn't like because they did this to one of us," said Lisa Heddinger.

Help For Heddinger:

A fund has been set up to help Zack Heddinger. Donations can be made to:

Zack Heddinger Benefit Fund
S & T Bank
4385 Old William Penn Highway
Monroeville, 15146



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