Do you know what your kids are doing at school?
Sure, you know they're in class. Or they're supposed to be, at least. But what's really going on.
For Davis Cripe's family, they're asking that exact question after the sudden death of their 16-year-old son.
No, it wasn't bullying. No, it wasn't a fight. But the cause of their son's death is causing police to send out a warning to all parents: make sure you know what your kids are consuming.
Davis Cripe died of caffeine intoxication, which is a very real thing. In the two hours before his death, Cripe consumed a large Mountain Dew, a McDonald's latte, and an energy drink. The excess consumption sent his heart into cardiac arrhythmia which causes your heart to stop beating properly.
Richland County Coroner Gary Watts is reminding parents to warn their kids about the dangers of caffeine, even though it may seem harmless. He also stressed it was the speed of Cripe's consumption that caused his heart to fail, not necessarily the amount of caffeine.
"The same amount of caffeine on another day may have been right," he said. "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
A healthy adult can consume up to 400 milligrams of caffeine a day without experiencing extreme effects, which is equal to about 4 cups of coffee. Through some rough estimations, Cripe consumed almost 500 milligrams of caffeine before his heart gave out.
Sean Cripe, Davis' father, hopes this is a warning for all parents to watch their children's caffeine intakes.
"I stand before you as a brokenhearted father and hope that something good can come from this," he said. "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 they can be very dangerous."
Do your kids drink this much caffeine in a day? Make sure they are aware of the potential side effects.
