Sometimes it takes a tragic death to bring to light a situation that needs to change.
A 26-year old man is dead after entering a vodka drinking contest in a Seffner, Florida bar. Eric Morris was going shot-to-shot with another patron at the Angels Nightclub.
Finally the other guy quit, but Morris kept going and the bartender kept serving. Witnesses estimate he drank 23 to 25 shots of vodka within 30 minutes.
The bartender finally cut him off. Morris reportedly pounded the bar and got up to leave, fell over, and never got up. He was rushed to Brandon Regional Medical Center but was pronounced dead. The death is under investigation.
The law says that in Florida, bars can serve patrons as long as the patron wants to drink, and pay. But 25 shots?
Guidelines are in place through the sheriff’s office and classes are available on how to safely serve and when to quit.
After an incident like this, it is certainly time to revisit those “guidelines”. There are no easy answers in a situation like this all the way around. Our sympathy to the families involved.
