Fraternity pledge died from excessive water intake

Well, remmeber, everything there is a limit.

Just thing of it, why the earth is suspended in the emptiness??

Why, at certain time one would feel hungry or thirsty, who need to eat or drink at that particular time.

In the "I-Medical Sutra" the 5 eleements , Water, Wood, Earth, Metal, Fire must be balance, any element imbalance would cause illness & eventure death.

The other thing is, it is a common sense that once too much water in the stomarch, the body would react & there is more load for the Kidney & bladder. Once these two organs give way then obviously it death.

Therefore, for your Great Heath, Never Ever Drink Excessive Water.

Fraternity pledge died from excessive water intake, coroner says

BY KELLI PHILLIPS Knight Ridder Newspapers

CHICO, Calif. - (KRT) - Coroner's officials said a 21-year-old Chico State student died from the effects of over-consumption of water, complicated by low body temperature, during a fraternity initiation.

Matthew Carrington, who grew up in Pleasant Hill, died Wednesday morning trying to become a member of Chi Tau fraternity.

He had been up all night, drinking large quantities of water from a 5-gallon jug, doing push-ups and answering trivia questions about other fraternity members, said Chico police Sgt. Dave Barrow.

During the night, a fan was used to blow air on him, family members said.

Carrington suffered a seizure and stopped breathing.

"It was just more than he could handle," said Kristi Vahl, a longtime friend.

According to the Butte County Coroner's Office, the cause of death was cardiac dysrhythmia due to electrolyte imbalance from water intoxication. A contributing factor was environmental hypothermia.

Drugs and alcohol were not a factor, police said. No arrests have been made, but it will be up to the district attorney whether to file charges, Barrow said.

On Thursday, as fraternity and sorority "rush week" activities continued, Chi Tau members refused to comment on Carrington's death or their pledge activities.

A former Chi Tau member, who asked that his name not be used because he still attends Chico, said that during a 2002 Chi Tau pledge activity, he was forced to drink milk until he threw up.

"I think for some guys there's a pressure to please," said J.W. Dell'Orto, a member of the agricultural fraternity Alpha Gamma Rho. "Seems like the younger guys are trying to impress the older frat brothers. It's like being a freshman in high school and getting invited to a senior party. You want to show them you're up for it."

Dell'Orto, a senior majoring in animal sciences, said Alpha Gamma Rho doesn't haze new members. Instead they host a barbeque and interview pledge candidates.

Molly Priest, 22, one of Carrington's roommates, said he didn't complain about the pledge activities, which included standing against a wall for hours and dressing up like a female prostitute.

"They were pushed to their limits," Priest said. "And Matt was pushed too hard."

Students said the university and police have cracked down on fraternities and alcohol-related activities since a 18-year-old fraternity pledge from Palo Alto died in 2000.

"Everyone parties here, not just the Greeks," said Dani Jimenez-Cruz, of Lambda Theta Nu. "It's what you make of it. You don't have to party if you don't want to, but the temptation is definitely there."

Two weeks ago, an 18-year-old Chico student nearly died from alcohol poisoning during a Sigma Chi pledge activity that involved drinking two 1.75 liter bottles of vodka. Butte County prosecutors said Thursday they plan to file charges against the fraternity member who provided the alcohol.

On Thursday afternoon, Erin Bixon, of Foothill Distributing Inc., wheeled cases of Budweiser into Riley's bar, a popular hangout frequented by members of nearby fraternities and sororities.

"Some kids try to find their limits and see what they can take," he said.

KRT Wire | 02/04/2005 | Fraternity pledge died from excessive water intake, coroner says