RALEIGH, N.C. --- Alcohol contributed to the deaths of most of the South Carolina college students who perished in an October fire because they could not react quickly to the blaze that tore through their beach house, medical examiners said Thursday.
Dr. John Butts said in an e-mail to The Associated Press on Thursday that it was "reasonable and logical" to consider that alcohol contributed to the deaths. Dr. Butts has said six of the seven had high alcohol levels, ranging from 0.16 to 0.29 percent. One student who died had no alcohol in her system.
Dr. Butts' comments came the same week that the autopsy report for one student, Cassidy Fae Pendley, said the 18-year-old died primarily from inhaling carbon monoxide in the blaze. Dr. Thomas B. Clark III, an associate state medical examiner, also wrote in that report that alcohol intoxication was a "significant contributing condition" in her death.
Ms. Pendley's report said her blood alcohol level was 0.18 percent, more than twice the legal limit of 0.08 for driving a car. It also was the first to say alcohol contributed to a death in the fire.
Dr. Clark said although it is widely known that alcohol affects reaction time, it is important that people hear the message again.
Five other autopsy reports noted only the alcohol levels of the dead students, and medical officials didn't discuss the role of alcohol. In November, Brunswick County District Attorney Rex Gore dismissed the suggestion that drinking contributed to the deaths because one victim had no alcohol in her system.
Mr. Gore didn't return a telephone message Thursday seeking comment.
Although investigators said the exact cause of the fire wasn't determined, they said they couldn't rule out improperly discarded smoking materials. Two autopsy reports say the fire was caused by a cigarette.
Survivors of the fire said smoke detectors woke them up in time "with only moments to escape" the smoke and flames that tore through the canal-front house at Ocean Isle Beach, the report said.
Comments
These were college students! HELLO! They were on vacation at the beach! Of course they had alcohol in there systems but I don't feel that contribted to their deaths! Like this article says 1 of them had NO alcohol in her system.
It was a beach house that went up fast! I don't think they could have reacted fast enough drunk or not!
I'm with you melmel.
Were the kids asleep or passed out? Big difference. I still feel for the families of these students. How many were underage?
Please don't use college and vacationa as an excuse. Everyone wants to have fun, but we have to be realistic as to the effects of alcohol on our bodies..No one is casting blame on this tragedy. That musch alcohol they may have passed out and was slow on the up take when the fire started. It's reality, unfortunately the ugle side.
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