Family sues uni after woman dies in pancake eating contest
The family of a young woman who died during a pancake eating contest is suing the university who organised the competition.
Caitlin Nelson, 20, died in March last year after Sacred Heart University’s Greek Week celebration in Connecticut, Fox News reports.
She reportedly began to shake after eating a number of pancakes and fell to the ground.
Two nursing students tried to save her and she was rushed to hospital but later died.
The family’s lawsuit claims police officers found pancake paste had closed the 20-year-old’s airway leading to her death. They are suing the university.
The lawsuit also claims Ms Nelson’s mouth “was compacted with pancakes, almost to her teeth” and the pancake paste had stiffened “like concrete”, the Hartford Courant reported.
Lawyer Katie Mesner-Hage told Fox News Ms Nelson’s family want to “expose the dangers” of amateur eating contests to help prevent similar tragedies.
“These contests are significantly more dangerous than people realise and it’s critically important for the public — especially educational institutions, to understand that certain foods are safer than others and a modicum of forethought can literally save lives,” Ms Mesner-Hage said.
An autopsy determined the woman died from asphyxia due to a blocked airway, the New York Post reported.
The lawsuit was filed on Monday.
