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Eulogy for Wasted Youth

by Karoli on November 20, 2007

I keep meaning to write about this and don’t get to it. Tonight I will get to it. Liz chronicles reports of teens and college students who die of alcohol poisoning. The list is astounding; the circumstances appalling. From her latest:

On November 9, 2007, Mr. Privett (of Whitwell, Tennessee) was out binge drinking with friends, when he passed out. When his friends realized he wasn’t breathing, they loaded him into a car and headed for a hospital. It was too late.


Others, 2007:

  1. 6/7/2007: Julian Cecil Ortiz, Age 19 BAC: .43
  2. 10/19/07: Amanda Jax, 21 BAC: .46
  3. 9/23/2007: Cory DeWayne Tucker, Age 16
  4. 10/6/07: Dakota Johnson, age 16
  5. 10/5/07: Nik Gallegos, Age 18
  6. 2/2/2007: Alexis E. Garcia, 15 BAC: .28-.33
  7. 4/27/2007: Clayton Wayne Lawson, Age 16
  8. 6/27/2007: Monica Gastelum, Age 17 BAC: .455
  9. 6/24/2007: Brandon Booker, Age 17
  10. 3/28/2007: Gary Devercelly, Age 18
  11. 4/14/2007: Stephanie Huffer Kay, Age 21
  12. 4/28/2007: Leland Martin, Age 18
  13. 5/2/2007: Jordan Crist, 19 BAC: .40
  14. 2/13/2007: Karl Fazli, 21
  15. 5/4/2007: Joshua Harrington, 20
  16. 4/22/2007: Galen Harig-Blaine BAC: .30
  17. 4/12/2007: Kayla Davis, 17
  18. 3/21/2007: Sean P Humphry, 19
  19. 3/17/2007: Joe Hunter, 17
  20. 3/3/2007: Sid Skibinski-Gonzales, 19
  21. 2/16/2007: Allen Dale “Boo” Bratton, 12 BAC: over .20
  22. 2/17/07: Robert Patton, 14
  23. 1/14/07: Samantha Lynn Scheuring, 16 BAC: .44
  24. 1/1/2007: Daniel Gjertsen, 21 BAC: .44

At least 25 in 2007, with the holidays still ahead of us. In 2006, 19. In 2005, 14. In 2004, at least 19.

“A” Students. Musicians. Cheerleaders. Beloved sons and daughters, brothers and sisters. Wasted, literally.

With the holidays around, please learn about the signs of alcohol poisoning. Help your teenagers learn how to recognize it so they don’t leave a friend passed out on the floor only to discover they died of a party. This is one category on Liz’ blog I’d love to see closed.

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  • Another young man has died, Adam Beggs.

    Parents, teach your children that guzzling alcohol of any kind can kill. Teach your friend's children.
  • Thank-you for sharing this important information. Teen drinking is a frightening problem and is pervasive not only on college campuses but in high school as well. It seems these kids just don't get it - even when one of their own is affected.
  • Thanks, Karoli.

    I've been exchanging emails with Hershel Privett's mom. They are agonizing. His "pals" didn't know that his unresponsiveness as they scribbled on his face and handled his genitals were signs that he was dying of alcohol poisoning.

    One common feature of alcohol death in young males: their companions think it is funny to draw on the faces and genitals of their drunken companions. Without further research, both Gordie Bailey's and Jack Phoumaranth's were both scribbled on by their companions. I suspect there are more -- it didn't occur to me to chronicle it until my correspondence with Mr. Privett's mother.

    The face-scribbling practice, as illustrated here:

    college Alcohol Deaths: Why?

    In an article called     Magnitude of alcohol-related mortality and morbidity among U.S. college students ages 18–24: changes from 1998 to 2001, by Hingson R, Heeren T, Winter M, Wechsler H. in Annual Review of Public Health. 2005, 26:259-279, the authors used statistical methods:

    Estimated number of nontraffic injury deaths of all youth that are alcohol related:1998         2001    991         1151

    Estimated number of nontraffic injury deaths of college students that are alcohol related:
    1998         2001 
      327           368
    Alcohol Overdose Deaths on Campus or Those Under Age
    [decedent's name with link], [age], [DoD], [university] [BAC]
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