David Gaitan, 21, Alcohol Overdose

Link: cbs5.com - Bay City News Wire.

David Gaitan, 21, of Hollister, died in his sleep sometime between 2 a.m., when his friends saw him nod off in a bedroom in the 1400 block of Southside Road. At 8 a.m. Gaitan was found dead.

Gaitan is believed to have consumed a large amount of alcohol causing his death. The result from an autopsy performed Monday to determine his blood alcohol level is pending, San Benito County Sheriff's Detective Bryan Penney said today.

My deepest condolences to his family and friends.

Gaitan, a recruiter with the National Guard in San Jose, graduated from San Benito High School in 2002. News of Gaitan's death came as a shock to his family.

"He was my son. We loved him. This is a tragedy and it hurts so much," said father Miguel Gaitan. "If you're going to be in a group of friends, you need to take care of each other. Maybe if that would have happened my son would still be alive today."

Miguel Gaitan said he knew his son's friends and did not blame them for the death. Miguel said his son did not have problems with alcohol, but liked to drink and barbecue with friends, which is what he did on Saturday. He said his son was a patriotic American, an avid San Francisco 49ers fan, and a "good kid."

"He enjoyed life, he loved his family," Miguel Gaitan said. "He was just the kind of person you wanted to be around."

San Benito High School wrestling coach Matt Olejnik, who worked with Gaitan as a varsity football player and wrestler, was devastated with the news.

"He had a great sense of humor and he never quit. He always gave 110 percent," Olejnik said. "I couldn't believe it. This is one of those things that always stays with you."

Olejnik hopes his students will learn from the tragedy.

"Hopefully something positive will come from this," he said. "Hopefully someone will ask what it means to be a good friend. You gotta know that you can't leave people alone to pass out. You have to get them somewhere safe."

Although rare, Penney said one death from alcohol poisoning in San Benito County is one too many.

"It's very infrequent, but it can easily happen to any one at any time," he said. "Young adults need to know when enough is enough. Alcohol can be deadly."

Penney said many 21-year-olds are lured into a false sense of safety by thinking that so long as they don't drive, they can't get hurt.

"Once your blood alcohol level hits 0.3 percent, that's acute alcohol intoxication," Penney said. "You can loose your gag reflex and choke on your own vomit or your brain can shut down and stop telling your lungs to breathe."

Gaitan's autopsy is scheduled for today, however his blood alcohol level will not be known until the toxicology results come back, which could be weeks.

Penney said the San Benito County Sheriff's Office was particularly concerned about the incident with high school prom just a few months away.

"We're not preaching," he said. "We just don't want this to happen again."

Undersheriff Pat Turturici said he hopes others can learn from the tragedy before it's too late.

"Sometimes these kids don't realize how much they've had to drink and their bodies just shut down," he said. "If we can help get out the word about the dangers of binge drinking, hopefully we can save lives."

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.  (1)  to educate the public about alcohol poisoning; (2) to identify steps parents and students can take to
prevent such tragedies;  (3) eradicate fraternity hazing in any form.

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

[david a. gaitan]

hola mi nombre tambien es david gaitan,y bueno puse mi nombre en el buscador y aparecio esto,bueno solo queria q sepan q me sorprendio mucho!!!y queria darles fuerzas!!!!

[david a. gaitan]

hola mi nombre tambien es david gaitan,y bueno puse mi nombre en el buscador y aparecio esto,bueno solo queria q sepan q me sorprendio mucho!!!y queria darles fuerzas!!!!

[David A. Gaitán]

Hola, Soy de Colombia y también me llamo David A. Gaitán; estoy sorprendido!!!!!