There's A Plague Killing Our Kids: Alcohol Deaths 2004

"There's no place  that's actually keeping data on alcohol deaths"--Thomas Kunstman MD

Update December 22, 2004

The following six eight fifteen students sixteen seventeen twenty people under 21 have died directly of alcohol overdose (alcohol toxicity, alcohol poisoning). One two , three, four, five  six more have died of other causes while severely intoxicated (BAC over 0.16)

Fall Term, 2004-2005

1. Carrie Williams, 15, high school, December 19, 2004, BAC unknown.
2. Kaine Snyder, 18, December 19, 2004,  recent high school graduate, BAC unknown.
3. LaToya Lane, 19, December 14, 2004, Fayetteville State University, BAC unknown.
4. Bennet Bertoli, 21: December 11, 2004, Colorado State University, BAC 0.123
5. Michael Duni, 16: December 12, 2003, North Mecklenburg High School, BAC "very high"
6. Nicholas Trout, 18: Dec 4, 2004,  Canon City High School, BAC 0.404
7. Ashley Mangus, 14, December  4, 2004 , Chatauqua High School, BAC unknown
8. Steve Judd, 21:  Nov. 18, 2004, New Mexico State University,  BAC not reported, brain death
9. Joseph Michael Osborne, 24: October 27, 2004, Colorado Mountain College, BAC 0.302.
10. Billy Corbin, 18, September 26, 2004, high school student,  BAC not reported.
11. Drew Speirling, 20,  Western Michigan State University, October 23, 2004,  post-mortem BAC 0.22
12. Samantha Spady, 19, September 04,2004, Colorado State University,  BAC 0.436
13. Lynn Gordon Bailey Jr., 18,  September 17, 2004, University of Colorado, BAC
14. Thomas Ryan Hauser, 23, September 19, 2004, Virginia Tech, BAC unknown
15. Blake Adam Hammontree, 19: September 30, 2004, Oklahoma University,  BAC 0.42

Spring Term, 2003-2004

16. Blake Barrone, 13, July 3, 2004, Berean Christian Middle School, BAC unknown but "consistent with alcohol poisoning".
17. Rodre'on Jackson, 15, June 5, 2004, Pasco High School, BAC over 0.32.
18. Jason Kirsinas, 21: April 26, 2004, California State University-Long Beach, BAC unknown, died of alcohol poisoning
19. Jason Reinhardt, 21: March 15, 2004, Minnesota State University, Moorhead ,  BAC 0.306
20. Steve Saucedo, 21, March 2004,  UC Berkeley,  BAC not reported

In addition, Adam Falcon of St. Lawrence University and Jared Dion University of Wisconsin, La Crosse drowned after drinking heavily (Dion's BAC was 0.40) and Amanda Morrison died from a fall while intoxicated.  Margaret Susan Piton  , 21, was found to have died of alcohol poisoning and choking March 21, 2004.  She was at a "foam party" at a nightclub.   Bradley Barrett Kemp, 20, died of mixing alcohol with over-the-counter cough remedies on October 1, 2004.  Matthew Paris was partying at his fraternity in honor of his 21st birthday, drank 21 shots of hard liquor, and fell two stories, suffering a life-changing brain injury.

Are these deaths actually a change, or a problem coming to light?  In 1994, a Federal law was passed requiring colleges to publish all student deaths.    Prior to that time, deaths due to alcohol poisoning were often hidden.  College campuses, where a great many of the deaths occurred, sought to avoid adverse publicity. Death certificates said “cardiac arrest” or “asphyxiation.” Medical examiners sometimes chose to tell a grieving family, “It was a freak accident,” rather than “Your son/daughter drank him/herself to death.”   Families who knew the truth hid the fact that their child had drunk him or herself to death.

"There's no place  that's actually keeping data on alcohol deaths"--Thomas Kunstman MD, Lead Physician at Colorado University's Wardenburg Health center.

You can reach Dr. Kunstman at:

1801 Wardenburg Drive

Campus Box 119

Boulder, CO



303-492-5101  fax: 303-492-6861  Thomas.Kunstman@COLORADO.EDU

 

 

T-Dub.org, T DuB is an organization that deals with getting the message out about alcohol poisoning to teens and young adults.    B.R.A.D. is: Be Responsible About Drinking, Inc)

(previous posts: Alcohol overdose: timelines, and what to do with a potential victim; start of series: Lists of Kids Dying on Campus from  Alcohol Poisoning, 2004; what you can do to change the underage drinking climate in your community; Patrick McCann's death in a drug dealing house; two sources of help: T-Dub.org, T DuB is an organization that deals with getting the message out about alcohol poisoning to teens and young adults.    B.R.A.D. is: Be Responsible About Drinking, Inc) More Alcohol Deaths;  Alcohol and Its Effects: Education for College Students; Beer, Booze, and Books is a site maintained by an alcohhol educator;  List of Children who Have Died of Alcohol/Drug PoisoningNo One Is Keeping Track of Alcohol Deaths.)

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In all cases, my deepest condolences to family and friends.

Underage Alcohol Deaths 2004
Underage Alcohol Deaths 2005
Underage Alcohol Deaths 2006

Signs of Alcohol Poisoning

Alcohol depresses nerves that control involuntary actions such as breathing, the heartbeat and the gag reflex that prevents choking. A fatal dose of alcohol will eventually stop these functions. After the victim stops drinking, the heart keeps beating, and the alcohol in the stomach continues to enter the bloodstream and circulate through the system. The victim may experience the following:

• Mental confusion, stupor, coma, unable to rouse the person
• No response to pinching the skin
• Vomiting while sleeping or unresponsive
• Seizures
• Slowed breathing  (fewer than 8 breaths per minute)
• Irregular breathing (10 seconds or more between breaths)
• Hypothermia (low body temperature), bluish skin color, paleness

Alcohol Poisoning Requires Immediate Medical Attention

Alcohol Poisoning Cannot Be Reversed By:

• Drinking black coffee
• Taking a cold bath or shower
• Walking it off

The victim must have immediate medical attention.
Call 911, stay with the victim to prevent him choking on vomit, and tell emergency personnel how much alcohol the victim drank.

These Children Died of Alcohol Overdose, So Their Parents Started Foundations:

Taylor Webster's memorial foundation.  Taylor died of alcohol  poisoning at age 19-- Now his family and friends are working  to get the message out, telling their stories and providing  information on alcohol poisoning and the signs and symtoms  of alcohol poisoning in hopes that lives will be saved.

Bradley McCue's memorial foundation.  On November 5, 1998  Bradley turned 21. . He celebrated  his birthday in a way that has become increasingly popular, drinking "his  age in shots". That amount of alcohol was lethal and he died  that night of alcohol poisoning.

Samantha Spady's memorial foundation. A 19-year old student at Colorado State University, Spady died of alcohol poisoning on September 5, 2004, "an unintentional tragedy."  The Spadys say the SAM [Student Alcohol Management] Spady Foundation will develop peer-to-peer counseling and other services meant to reduce the risk of alcohol abuse.

Gordie Bailey's memorial foundation Mission: to provide today’s youth with the skills to navigate the dangers of alcohol, and through education and promotion of self worth prevent alcohol poisoning, binge drinking and hazing. 

Kimberly Ostien's memorial foundation: "With binge drinking on the rise, we feel it necessary to get the message out on the danger of alcohol, especially excessive alcohol consumed in a short period of time.  Students are educated on drugs and alcohol but they will continue to experiment no matter what.  We want to educate on what to do when a friend falls down or passes out from drinking.  Often we want to put that person to bed to sleep it off and that is when the trouble can begin."  The card lists the information, above.

Comments

[Azygos]

Liz,

It’s not necessarily that the doctor signing the death certificate is trying to minimize the person’s death or obscure the fact that alcohol was the cause. The law here in Arizona and many other states requires one to list anatomy as a cause of death, not pathophysiology. Asphyxiation is a physical (anatomy) reason as the cause of death. Mitochondrial paralysis due too alcohol intoxication is more technically a pathophysiological reason for the death, but the state won’t accept that if you write it on the death certificate. One may use alcohol intoxication as a factor in the death but it has to be listed as a contributing factor and not the primary reason for the death.

[Theresa Ostien]

Kimberly Ostien, age 18, died on November 25, 2003 in her dorm room at Neumann College, Aston, PA from alcohol poisoning.
You can visit our website at
www.kimsawareness.net
Kim would have been 19 on Dec. 26th.
We too are trying to get the message out.
Theresa Ostien

[keith]

Let us kill the plague before it kills our kids.

[Bunny Galladora]

I am working on a project "Face the Tears". I am creating a display that will serve as a visible reminder of the pain caused by alcohol. Would you be interested in helping. I am collecting stories (about 2 pages) about how alcohol negitively impacted people.

I also would like each story to have a cloth handkerchief that will represent the tears of those in pain and a photo (of either the person who died or a photo of the person who wrote about their sorrow) to include in the display. Items will not be returned and will become the property of the display.

Thanks for your consideration.

Please send items to:
Face the Tears Project
c/o Bunny S. Galladora
17826 Stoneridge Dr.
North Potomac, MD 20878

[Tawny]

I had a friend who died of alchohol overdose. He was very popualar and the nicest guy ever he had everything going for him, he was only 14 but now hes gone. Its been 2 years since he died and we all miss him soo much! Just trying to get the word out of how much alchchol can hurt people, it took my friend I dont it take anybody else.
Love
Tawny of bakersfield

[sam]

We are talking about alcohol in our health class and i was wondering if you can give me some info thanks a lot bye

[Rojario]

One of my cousins had experienced alcohol poisoning. We immediately get him down to the hospital, where he undergone a stomach pump to get the alcohol out of his system. I think this is the most effective treatment for alcohol poisoning, and it’s very important that you get this done as quickly as possible. Thank God he survived.

He was advised to mix in some non alcoholic drinks while drinking, as this would help to reduce his craving.