Davis Allen Cripe, a 16-year-old high school student from South Carolina, drank just three caffeinated beverages within the span of two hours—a cafe latte, a large Diet Mountain Dew, and an energy drink. Three hours after he purchased the latte at McDonald’s, Cripe collapsed in his classroom at Spring Hill High School. Soon thereafter, the teenager was pronounced dead.
Cripe died from a caffeine-induced cardiac event causing a probable arrhythmia, Richland County Coroner Gary Watts announced in a news conference Monday, reports CNN.
During an arrhythmia, or abnormal heart rhythm, the heart may not be able to pump enough blood to the body, and lack of blood flow affects the brain, heart and other organs.
Davis’ autopsy showed no undiagnosed heart conditions and that Davis was healthy and had no conditions that could have attributed to this death. No drugs or alcohol were found in Cripe’s system.
The teen’s father, Sean Cripe, was devastated over his son’s freakish passing.
“Like all parents, we worry about our kids as they grow up. We worry about their safety, their health, especially once they start driving. But it wasn’t a car crash that took his life. Instead, it was an energy drink.”
Wow, what a reminder of the frailty of life. Something most of us do every day is pound coffee and energy drinks without giving a thought to how it’s affecting our health. Poor kid wasn’t even being reckless with his intake, all things considered, and it cost him his life. Good vibes to his family and friends.
[h/t CNN]