Father chokes to death in watermelon eating contest to win free portion of chips
(Picture: Newsflash)
A father-of-four died choking on watermelon during an eating competition in front of his heartbroken wife.
Carlos Cerasomma, 37, was playing a game called ‘Boca de Melancia’, which translates to ‘Watermelon Mouth’, where competitors try to eat the exotic fruit as quickly as possible.
The rules of the game mean participants must eat the watermelon as quickly as possible without using their hands, all while bending down to eat it off a low table.
The father of four children aged between four months and 14 years was competing with other hotel guests to win a portion of French fries, hotel guests said.
Carlos’s wife, Kimberly Santos, said the staff at the Sao Pedro Thermas Resort in Sao Paulo, Brazil, encouraged him to finish the last piece of watermelon before realising he was unresponsive.
He was taken to the hospital, where doctors confirmed he died from physical asphyxiation caused by airway obstruction, Brazilian news outlet G1 Globo reported.
In a statement, the Sao Paulo Public Security Secretariat said: ‘The victim choked on food and was taken to the UPA (Emergency Care Unit), but did not survive.
‘The case was registered as a suspicious death at the São Pedro Police Station.’
One of the hotel guests, who has not been named, told the news outlet that people were shouting and started asking if anyone could perform the Heimlich manoeuvre.
‘A guest went to help, I believe she was a doctor. They took turns performing CPR. It took about 25 minutes for the firefighters to arrive,” they said.
Kimberly has accused the resort of being responsible for his death after citing a lack of medical staff on site.
She said a nurse later arrived but did not attempt any procedure on Carlos.
Her husband was lying on the ground for 30 minutes before firefighters took him to the hospital, Kimberly said.
She added that hotel guests rushed to provide first aid to her husband, and said that the lifeguard and other staff did not react quickly enough.
Carlos was put in a dangerous position, citing his height of 5ft 11 as being too tall for the low table, she said.
Kimberly blamed the staff for not noticing how low the table was sooner and said she plans to take legal action against the hotel.
The resort has denied the allegations, claiming Carlos was alive before he was rushed to the hospital.
A spokesperson for Sao Pedro Thermas Resort said: ‘The guest was promptly taken to the hospital alive, where, regrettably, he passed away.
‘We are in direct contact with the family, offering all the necessary support and comfort during this time of great sadness.
‘We reiterate our solidarity and respect for the family and friends, while preserving the privacy of all those involved.’
Unfortunately, deaths from choking are not uncommon.
Most recently, a man in Italy died from choking while eating a piece of panettone, which became lodged in his airways.
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