U.S. - Coroner says South Carolina teenager died after drinking caffeine quickly

[S.J.B.]

Coroner says South Carolina teenager died after drinking caffeine quickly
Bernie Woodall
Reuters
May 15th, 2017

A South Carolina teenager who collapsed in a high school classroom last month died because he drank several highly caffeinated drinks too quickly, a coroner said on Monday.

Davis Allen Cripe, 16, drank a latte from McDonald's, a large Mountain Dew soda, and a highly caffeinated energy drink in just under two hours, said Gary Watts, the coroner of Richland County, South Carolina.

Watts told Reuters by phone that physicians on his staff determined that Cripe died from a "caffeine-induced cardiac event causing a probable arrhythmia."

It was likely that caffeine would not have been seen as a factor in his death if it had not been for witnesses who could tell officials what Cripe had to drink before he collapsed during a high school class, Watts said.

He said the primary witness to what Cripe drank could not definitely say what brand of energy drink he had but said it was from a container the size of a large soft drink.

Read the full story here.

It's pretty surprising to see someone without a pre-existing heart condition die from what seems to have been under half a gram of caffeine. That must be at the very tail end of the lethality curve. Unlucky guy.

"This is not a caffeine overdose," Watts said. "We're not saying that it was the total amount of caffeine in the system, it was just the way that it was ingested over that short period of time, and the chugging of the energy drink at the end was what the issue was with the cardiac arrhythmia."

If it was any other drug than caffeine they would call that an overdose. 8)

 

[Jabberwocky]

If it was any other drug than caffeine they would call that an overdose. 8)

Well said.

 

[Wiserthanearlier]

Not the first instance of excessive but not moronic caffeine causing death.
I consider myself lucky, as i have pushed it way more than strong caffeine doses.

Kids, reflect on this. You can die from all drugs, it aint really down to you feeling invincible and no one you know ever dies.

 

[szuko000]

I take about 800mg of caffeine in 4 200mg pills a day. I dont notice any negative effects if i take 400-600mg in one short sitting but im caffeine tolerant. I also didnt start taking caffeine until i was about 18 and even then id had one energy drink after we smoked weed and noticed id have energy rather then fall asleep shortly after dinner.

 

[RDP89]

I'm guessing underlying heart condition. That's not a crazy amount of caffeine.