A South Dakota man is dead after choking at a hot dog eating contest over the July 4th weekend.
Walter Eagle Tail, 47, was a contestant at the contest. Custer County Sheriff Rick Wheeler told The Rapid City Journal that Eagle Tail died Thursday at a hospital after attempts to save him failed at the scene.
“It all happened within minutes,” Wheeler told the newspaper. “I think everybody was pretty well shocked about it.”
The Custer Chamber of Commerce sponsored the contest. The group canceled a pie-eating contest scheduled for Friday.
Chamber Executive Director Dave Ressler said the group is “at a loss for words.”
The chairman of Major League Eating, a competitive eating organization based in New York, said organizers do all they can to prevent casualties during contests, though his group had nothing to do with the South Dakota event.
“We always make sure it’s in a controlled environment,” George Shea said. “We organize the entire thing around safety. (Just as) if it’s football or hockey or auto racing, we approach it as a top priority.”
Funeral arrangements were pending for Eagle Tail, whom friends described as a fun-loving, kind, and caring man. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his loved ones during this difficult time.
SOURCE: CBS | PHOTO CREDIT: Getty
