Fla. man choked to death in roach-eating contest

 
No Author Published: November 26, 2012    Comment on this article Leave a comment

MIAMI (AP) — 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 autopsy released Monday.

photo -   FILE - In this file frame grab made from video provided by Sarah Bernard, Edward Archbold celebrates winning a roach-eating contest at Ben Siegel Reptile Store in Deerfield Beach, Fla. Archbold, 32, died shortly after downing dozens of the live bugs as well as worms, authorities said. Archbold, 32, of West Palm Beach died as a result of "asphyxia due to choking and aspiration of gastric contents," according to an autopsy report released Monday, Nov. 26, 2012 by the Broward County medical examiner's office. The death has been ruled an accident. (AP Photo/Courtesy Sarah Bernard, File)
FILE - In this file frame grab made from video provided by Sarah Bernard, Edward Archbold celebrates winning a roach-eating contest at Ben Siegel Reptile Store in Deerfield Beach, Fla. Archbold, 32, died shortly after downing dozens of the live bugs as well as worms, authorities said. Archbold, 32, of West Palm Beach died as a result of "asphyxia due to choking and aspiration of gastric contents," according to an autopsy report released Monday, Nov. 26, 2012 by the Broward County medical examiner's office. The death has been ruled an accident. (AP Photo/Courtesy Sarah Bernard, File)

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Edward Archbold, 32, of West Palm Beach died as a result of "asphyxia due to choking and aspiration of gastric contents," according to the report 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. "Unfortunately, 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."

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