Roach Eating Contest Death Result of Asphyxiation (VIDEO)
A man attempting to win a pricey python snake by consuming a mass amount of insects and died last month due to asphyxiation, reports said Monday.
Edward Archbold, 32, was one of 20 to 30 contestants who participated in the "Midnight Madness" event at Ben Siegel Reptiles in Deerfield Beach, according to CNN. His goal was to win a $1,000 python- a prize being offered by the pet shop to the person who could consume the most insects and worms.
The owner of the shop described Archbold as the "life of the party." He stated that the contestant continued to swallow the roaches and worms without showing any signs of distress. But soon after the contest finished, Archbold became ill and began to vomit.
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Archbold had consumed about 26 insects before falling ill, according to the Associated Press. A friend of Archbold and Archbold himself made calls to 911, according to the pet shop's Facebook. Archbold then attempted to walk outside the store, but collapsed two stores down, where he was retrieved by emergency officials.
He was pronounced dead at Broward Health North.
No other contestants in the contest fell ill and officials were not immediately aware of what had occurred to prompt Arcbold's death. A later autopsy revealed Monday reported the death a result of "asphyxia due to choking and aspiration of gastric contents."
"Laboratory testing for lethal intoxicating substances, stigmata of anaphylaxis, or metabolic derangements were negative," the Broward Medical Examiner's Office said in a statement.
The medical examiner explain to AP via email that the asphyxiation was the result of Archbold attempting to breathe and swallow at the same time.
"There is a flap called the epiglottis that is supposed to stop objects from going into the lungs," medical examiner Craig T. Mallak wrote. "Unfortunately, it doesn't always work. In the video you could see him trying to swallow and breathe at the same time. We can't do both simultaneously."
