A Fourth of July hot dog eating contest turned tragic in western South Dakota after a competing contestant choked to death, the Associated Press reported. He died at a hospital Thursday afternoon after attempts to save him failed at the scene.
Walter Eagle Tail, 47, of Custer, was attempting to speedily eat hot dogs during a competitive eating contest when he began to choke at Way Park, Custer County Sheriff Rick Wheeler told the Rapid City Journal. Although paramedics immediately arrived at the scene and tried to save him, Eagle Tail eventually had to be rushed by ambulance to Custer Regional Hospital.
"There was someone doing CPR when we arrived," Wheeler said on Monday. "Basically, he probably just suffocated. It got lodged in his throat and they couldn't get it out. It all happened within minutes. I think everybody was pretty well shocked about it."
The Custer Chamber of Commerce, which sponsored the event, canceled a pie-eating contest scheduled for Friday after the tragic incident. "We are at a loss for words," Chamber Executive Director Dave Ressler said. "We are mourning for Walter and his family right now."
Organizers do everything they can to make these competitions safe and prevent any casualties during them, George Shea, chairman of Major League Eating, a competitive eating organization based in New York, said. "We always make sure it's in a controlled environment," Shea, who clarified Tuesday that Major League Eating was in no way involved in the tragic event, said. "We organize the entire thing around safety. (Just as) if its football or hockey or auto racing, we approach it as a top priority."
Funeral arrangements are still pending for Eagle Tail, whom friends described as a fun-loving, kind and caring man. "Walter was just being Walter, having fun when he entered this contest," said Ardis McRae. "He was just having a good time."
The Fourth of July weekend is known for its popular speed-eating competitions. At an annual contest in Coney Island, N.Y., eight-time champion Joey "Jaws" Chestnut managed to eat 61 hot dogs in 10 minutes on Friday, which was eight short of the record 69 he swallowed in the 2013 competition.
