Sacred Heart University Sued Over Pancake Eating Contest Death

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Sacred Heart University in Fairfield is being sued by the family of a student who choked to death during a pancake eating contest last year.

 

 

The family of a Sacred Heart University student who choked to death last year during a pancake eating contest is suing the university.

 

Caitlin Nelson, 20, of Clark, N.J., started to choke minutes after the contest began on March 30, 2017, and died days later at a New York hospital.

 

The lawsuit, filed Monday morning in Superior Court in Bridgeport, claims the university was at fault for allowing the competitive pancake eating contest to occur.

 

Nelson began to choke during the contest and Fairfield police and medics who responded within minutes were not able to clear her mouth and throat of pancakes. The blockage deprived Nelson of oxygen for an extended period and caused serious brain damage.

 

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An autopsy determined Nelson died of asphyxia due to obstruction of her airway by a lump of food.

 

According to the lawsuit, Fairfield police officers who tried to save Nelson found her mouth “was compacted with pancakes, almost to her teeth” and that pancake paste in her mouth was “like concrete.”

 

They were not able to clear away the pancakes to restore Nelson’s ability to breathe.

 

Bridgeport law firm Koskoff, Koskoff & Bieder brought the lawsuit on behalf of Nelson’s mother, Rosanne Nelson.

 

A spokesperson for Sacred Heart declined to comment because of the litigation.

 

Sacred Heart Student Died Of Asphyxia, NY Medical Examiner Rules »

While the lawsuit seeks money damages, lawyer Katie Mesner-Hage said it also seeks to expose the danger of amateur eating contests and to prevent other families from experiencing such a tragedy.

 

“These contests are significantly more dangerous than people realize 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.”

 

The lawsuit suggests ice cream and whipped cream are safer for amateur competitive eating contests because they melt before they can block a person’s airway.

 

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