Fla. man choked to death on roaches.

[jazzbluescat]

This had to be a heck of a "show."

The Associated Press

MIAMI — A Florida man choked to death after downing dozens of live roaches to win a contest earlier this year in which the grand prize was a python, according to an au*topsy released Monday.

Edward Archbold, 32, of West Palm Beach died as a re*sult of “asphyxia due to chok*ing and aspiration of gastric contents,” according to the re*port released by the Broward County medical examiner’s office. It said his airway was obstructed by the roach body parts, which caused him to not be able to breathe.

“There is a flap called the epiglottis that is supposed to stop objects from going into the lungs,” medical examiner Craig T. Mallak wrote in an email to the AP. “Unfortu*nately, 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.”

Lab tests for drugs came back negative. The death has been ruled an accident.

“It’s hard to even think about it,” said Kim Crawford, co-owner of Busch Canvas & Interiors where Archbold worked for four years. “It does bring a little closure because not knowing always puts that question mark out there.”

Archbold died after down*ing the bugs, as well as worms in the Oct. 6 contest at Ben Siegel Reptile Store in Deerfield Beach, about 40 miles north of Miami.

[Vaughan]

This made the news here when it happened. Man, the things people do......

[jav]

I know they say it is better to die saying "I can't believe I did that," as opposed to "I wish I had done that," but this is ridiculous! Kind of callous to say serves him right, but then randomly killing other forms of life for no sane reason is kind of callous too.