I Speak of Dreams

Joe Viereck, 17, Alcohol-Related Death

Mr. Viereck was a junior at O'Gorman High School, in Sioux Falls, SD. Over the Presidents' Day Weekend, he went to Arizona with two friends, chaperoned by the parents of one of the boys.  The boys flew home ahead of the chaperones with a connection in Minneapolis;  a missed flight caused the boys to spend the night at a motel near the airport.  The boys were joined by  two students from nearby St. Benedict College. The group began to drink by the motel's indoor pool, and then four of the five went up to the room,  leaving Viereck alone by the pool.  A motel employee spotted Viereck at the bottom of the pool shortly after 1:00 am.  He was unable to be revived.

My condolences to his family and friends.

Brian W. Threet, 20, Alcohol Overdose

Mr. Threet went back to the St. Cloud State campus before classes resumed in January, to enjoy "New Years' Week" with his friends, partying.   On January 4th, his brother Joshua reports:

"He was partying all night, and they found him in his bed," Joshua Threet said. "It was his roommate who found him" at about 4 p.m. on Saturday.

My condolences to his family and friends.

Underage Alcohol Deaths, 2007

In 2004, at least nineteen people of college age  died of alcohol toxicity (alcohol poisoning, alcohol overdose).

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

In an article called Magnitude of alcohol-related mortality and morbidity among U.S. college students ages 18–24: changes from 1998 to 2001, by Hingson R, Heeren T, Winter M, Wechsler H. in Annual Review of Public Health. 2005, 26:259-279, the authors used statistical methods:

Estimated number of nontraffic injury deaths of all youth that are alcohol related:
1998         2001 
  991         1151

Estimated number of nontraffic injury deaths of college students that are alcohol related:
1998         2001 
  327           368

Alcohol Overdose Deaths on Campus or Those Under Age
[decedent's name with link], [age], [DoD], [university] [BAC]

The following list is generated by news reports listing cause of death as alcohol related.  I am sure there are more.

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

1. Daniel Gjertson, 21, January 1 2007, Mount Laurel, New Jersey, BAC 0.44
2. Samantha Lynn Scheuring ,16, January 16, 2007, Vandergrift, Pennsylvania, BAC 0.44
3. Alexis E. Garcia, 15, February 2, 2007, Easthampton High School, Massachusetts, BAC 0.31
4. Allen Dale "Boo" Bratton,  12, February 16,  2007,  Mishawaka, Indiana, BAC 0.20
5. Karl Fazil, 21, February 13, 2007, Wittenberg University, BAC unknown
6. Robert Patton, 14, February 17 2007, Terre Haute, Indiana, BAC unknown
7. Sid Skibinski-Gonzales, 19, March 3, 2007, Modesto, CA, BAC unknown
8. Jessica Murphy, 18, March 4, 2007, Monett, MO, BAC 4.06
9. Joe Hunter, 17, March 2007, Coalville, Utah, BAC unknown
10. Gary Devercelly, 18, March 29, 2007, Rider University, BAC 0.426
11. Kayla Davis, 17 , April 13, 2007, Delaware County, OK, BAC unknown
12. Stephanie Huffer Kay, 21, April 14 , 2007, North Carolina State University, BAC unknown.
13. Galen Harig-Blaine, 18, April 22, 2007, Broadneck High School, Annapolis MD,  BAC 0.30
14. Clayton Wayne Lawson, 16, April 27, 2007, BAC unknown
15. Leland Martin, 18, April 29, 2007, Winder-Barrow High School, Winder, GA, BAC unknown
16. Jordan Crist, 19, May 2, 2007, Southern Methodist University, BAC 0.40
17. Joshua Harrington, 20, May 4, 2007, Wausau, WI, BAC 0.54
18. Julian Cecil Ortiz, 19, June 7, 2007, McMinneville, OR, BAC 0.43
19. Brandon Booker, 17, June 24, 2007, LaSalle, IL, BAC 0.22
20. Monica Gastelum, 17, June 27 2005, AR, BAC 0.455
21. Jordan Shirey, 21, September 13, Bowling Green State University,  BAC unknown
22. Cory Dewayne Tucker, 16, September 23, 2007, Ringgold, GA, BAC unknown
23. Nik Gallegos, 18, October 6 2007, Stephen F. Austin University, Nagadoches, TX, BAC unknown
    
24. Dakota Johnson, 16, October 7 2007 , Elgin High School, Elgin OK BAC unknown
25. Amanda Jax, 21, October 29 2007, Minnesota State University Mankato, MN, BAC 0.46
26. Hershell Edward Privett, jr, 18, November 9 2007, Chattanooga, TN, BAC unknown.
27. Adam Beggs, November 17 2007, Auburn,  ME  BAC Unknown
28. Adam Baxter, 18, November 23 2007, Augusta ME, BAC unknown.
29. Pat Mason, 21, November 30 2007, Santa Cruz, CA, BAC unknown
30. Benjamin Garrison Sprague, 18, December 9, 2007, Clemson University, BAC 0.379
31. Jenna Foellmi, 20, Winona State University, December 13, 2007, MN, BAC "incompatible with life".
32. Julia Gonzalez, 16, Turlock, CA, December 28, 20007, BAC 0.52

A young man in Minnesota:

After he watched an ambulance crew carry away a girl he knew earlier this year, he said, he wished he'd had another message dunned into him. If someone you know is breathing irregularly or passes out -- whether the reason appears to be too much drinking, or anything else -- call 911. Don't delay. Don't worry about getting him or her -- or yourself -- into trouble. Don't assume that "sleeping it off" is all that the situation requires.

Jenna Foellmi, 20, Alcohol Poisoning

Ms. Foellmi was a sophomore at Winona State University.  After finals were over on Thursday,  December 13, 2007, she celebrated the end of a tough term by drinking alcohol, attending several parties.  She evidently spent the night at a friend's apartment, and was found unresponsive early the morning of the 14th.

My deepest condolences to her family and friends.

Benjamin Garrison Sprague, 18, Alcohol Poisoning

Benjamin Garrison Sprague, a freshman at Clemson University,  joined the Theta Zeta chapter of Sigma Nu fraternity this fall, joining his older brother as a member of the fraternity.  Mr. Sprague attended   a party at the fraternity, which is located off-campus,  the night of Saturday, December 8, 2007.

He was alive early Sunday morning, but was unresponsive when he was found about 7:30 a.m., when emergency services were summoned.

My deepest condolences to his family and friends. 

Pat Mason, 21, Alcohol Overdose

Pat Mason turned 21 on November 30, 2007.  He celebrated his birthday by going bar-to-bar after midnight, drinking shots.

He was found dead the next morning.

My condolences to friends and family.

Adam Baxter, 19, Alcohol Poisoning

Adam Baxter was with some friends November 23, 2007, and alcohol was consumed.  He was unable to be revived.

Adam Beggs, 18, Alcohol Poisoning

Update: The autopsy results aren't back, but it appears that Mr. Beggs chugged more than a quart  of vodka while the adult purchaser cheered him on.

Update #2 -- I made two errors in fact in the report below, which have been corrected silently.

On November 16, 2007, group of friends met to party in an apartment in Auburn, Maine, including Adam Beggs.  They got an adult, Larando Sweeting, to buy alcohol for them.  Beggs, in an act of bravado, drank down more than half of a half-gallon of vodka while Mr. Sweeting looked on in admiration.

His friends later found Mr. Beggs unresponsive, and called 911.  Mr. Beggs was pronounced dead at the hospital.

As always, my deepest condolences to Mr. Beggs' family and friends.  A memorial site has been established at http://www.adambeggsrip.com/

Hershel Edward Privett,jr, 18, Alcohol Overdose

On November 9, 2007, Mr. Privett  (of Whitwell, Tennessee) was out binge drinking with friends, when he passed out.  When his friends realized he wasn't breathing, they loaded him into a car and headed for a hospital.  It was too late.

As always, my condolences to his family and friends.

Julian Cecil Ortiz, 19, Alcohol Poisoning

Julian Ortiz lived in McMinneville, Oregon.  His best friend was Kristopher Becker, who was killed in a car crash on May 31, 2007.  Ortiz was a pall-bearer at Becker's funeral service on June 6, 2007.

After the funeral, Ortiz joined  Trevor Alan Tommila (21), his wife Savannah Tommila,   Steven Daniel Segundo (25), and several others at a wake in honor of  Becker.  The wake seems to have included copious alcohol consumption.

Ortiz was found the next day (June 7, 2007) unresponsive on a couch in a back room at the building where the wake was held.

My condolences to his family and friends.

Trevor Alan  Tommila,  Savannah Dawn Tommila, and Steven Daniel Segundo have been charged Ortiz's death.