A grieving US father has warned parents to beware of the dangers of energy drinks, and to share that warning with their children.
Sean Cripe told a South Carolina hearing that he is ‘heartbroken’ after losing his 16-year-old son, Davis, on April 26.
Earlier, Coroner Gary Watts confirmed that Davis had died from heart failure, from drinking too much caffeine in too short a space of time.
Davis reportedly drank a large carbonated soft drink, a café latte and an energy drink two hours before he collapsed in school, from cardiac arrhythmia.
Cardiac arrhythmia is a condition whereby the heart stops beating correctly. Symptoms of this life-threatening condition include rapid heartbeat, chest pain, fainting, difficulty breathing, dizziness and fatigue.
The coroner noted that Davis had no pre-existing or undiagnosed heart conditions, and had no trace of alcohol or drugs in his system at the time of his collapse.
In his report, Coroner Watts confirmed that Davis’ death was caused by drinking such a high volume of caffeine in such a short space of time; the speed of drinking, rather than the amount drunk.
“This was not an overdose. We lost Davis from a totally legal substance,” explained Coroner Watts.
“Our purpose here today is to let people know – especially our young kids in school – that these drinks can be dangerous, and be very careful with how you use them and how many you drink on a daily basis.
“You can have five people line up and all of them do the exact same thing with him that day, or even drink more, and it may not have any type of effect on them at all. That is what’s so dangerous.”
Richland County Coroner Gary Watts in press conference discussed the death of Davis Cripe due to large amounts of caffeine. pic.twitter.com/KzsGTMRj26
— chris brathwaite (@number1bajan) May 15, 2017
Meanwhile, Sean’s devastated father took the opportunity to share a warning to parents and children alike, all over the world.
“I stand before you as a broken-hearted father, and hope that something good can come from this,” he said, visibly emotional, at the coroner’s hearing.
“Parents, please, talk to your kids about the dangers of these energy drinks.
“And teenagers and students, please stop buying them. There’s no reason to consume them, and they can be very dangerous.”
Our hearts go out to the Cripe family. They are incredibly brave to share their story, for the good of others.
