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Man dies after drinking contest - Publican is held responsible

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  • 17-11-2006 11:08am
    #1
    connundrum
    Registered Users Posts: 5,563 ✭✭✭


    Hey, can't actually find a link for this but heard the story on the radio.

    Basically a man (42, father of 4 kids) went into a pub and had a drinking competition with 2 of his mates. In the space of 90 minutes he had consumed 18 brandys. Then he died (don't know if he died in the pub or at home).

    The family took the publican to court, blaming him for serving the man. The publican is reported to have settled out of court for €100,000.

    I don't really know who is to blame, as the publican shouldn't (by law) serve anyone who is intoxicated. But the man is 42 ffs, he should have known better! Often I have had far too much of a night out, and have got sick etc - but it was my fault. It was me who decided to over indulge.

    To me this is like a fat person sueing McDonalds. But by law the man shouldn't have been served.

    Tricky one. :(


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    #2
    petes
    Registered Users Posts: 8,382 ✭✭✭petes


    Did this happen a year or two ago?


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    #3
    connundrum
    Registered Users Posts: 5,563 ✭✭✭connundrum


    petes wrote:
    Did this happen a year or two ago?

    It must have, but I think the publican only settled yesterday - otherwise the news reports are really really bad.


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    #4
    petes
    Registered Users Posts: 8,382 ✭✭✭petes


    I can kind of remember something about this at the time it happened. Tbh both were to blame.


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    #5
    doubledown
    Registered Users Posts: 804 ✭✭✭doubledown


    I don't think it's a tricky one at all, to be honest.

    Anyone who drinks 18 brandys in 90 minutes is an idiot.


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    #6
    HelterSkelter
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,585 ✭✭✭HelterSkelter


    connundrum wrote:
    To me this is like a fat person sueing McDonalds. But by law the man shouldn't have been served.

    Tricky one. :(

    I don't think it is the same thing. There is no law stopping McDonalds from serving fat people. A publican however is required by law not serve anyone who is drunk.

    In this case though I think it was also the man's fault and the family have no right to sue the publican. I do think that the publican should be charged under the relevant law and be punished that way.


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    #7
    gucci
    Registered Users Posts: 4,278 ✭✭✭gucci


    doubledown wrote:
    anyone who drinks 18 brandys in 90 minutes is an idiot.

    or a really big tough man as he was trying to prove...


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    #8
    User45701
    Registered Users Posts: 6,905 ✭✭✭User45701


    emm how many times have all of you
    J walked?
    Peed in the street
    Been served drunk
    Had music above the legal noise limit
    parked on a double yellow line

    everyone breaks those minor laws its stupid that you can not be served when drunk, the only reason that have that law is its a excuse not to serve rowdy people


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    #9
    Beetlebum
    Closed Accounts Posts: 837 ✭✭✭Beetlebum


    They're both grown men and both should have known better. Some people can disguise being drunk very well but seeing as the barman had served him that amount of Brandy in such a short space of time he'd clearly know the man is fooked. I'm sure he was happy to keep serving him as it's money in his back pocket. Still, that will be on his conscience forever more. Terrible...

    Two of my mates had a burger eating contest once. They went into our local take-away and ordered 19 burgers each, the deal was that the loser had to pay. They both ended up eating an equal amount of burgers (14 as far as I remember), both got sick, and both had to pay...idiots!!


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    #10
    Deediddums
    Registered Users Posts: 67 ✭✭Deediddums


    Did he win?


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    #11
    connundrum
    Registered Users Posts: 5,563 ✭✭✭connundrum


    Deediddums wrote:
    Did he win?

    :rolleyes:


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    #12
    Hail 2 Da Chimp
    Registered Users Posts: 7,589 ✭✭✭Hail 2 Da Chimp


    He had better have won...

    But I do agree the barkeep should be held somewhat responsible for serving that amount of drink to a patrion in that amount of time, im sure in my local if I tried that i'd be turfed out.

    But on the other hand the barkeep didnt exactly force him to drink it.

    Its a bit like handing someone a loaded gun and "telling them do what ever you want with it"...


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    #13
    ferdi
    Closed Accounts Posts: 6,598 ✭✭✭ferdi


    Deediddums wrote:
    Did he win?
    you'd want to have seen the other guy!


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    #14
    Hail 2 Da Chimp
    Registered Users Posts: 7,589 ✭✭✭Hail 2 Da Chimp


    Actually I would like to know what happened the other guys, were they hospitalised or anything?

    18 Brandys is a LOT to drink in 90 minutes!


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    #15
    Heisenberg.
    Registered Users Posts: 7,541 ✭✭✭Heisenberg.


    This post has been deleted.


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    #16
    Splinter
    Hosted Moderators Posts: 3,331 ✭✭✭Splinter


    ya saying that cause it probably wasnt watered down so mustnt have been in Dublin


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    #17
    garthv
    Hosted Moderators Posts: 4,698 ✭✭✭garthv


    1 shot of brandy = 35.5 cl

    18 x 35.5 = 639 cl

    Thats pretty much a whole bottle, considering the average bottle is 750 cl.
    Thats a whole lotta hooch!


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    #18
    Rb
    Closed Accounts Posts: 14,277 ✭✭✭✭Rb


    They were having a drinking contest so as far as I'm concerned he is responsible. It may have been a bit irresponsible for the bar to keep serving him so much in such a short amount of time, but if they were so intent on the contest then they'd have just as easily went to an off-licence and held it at home (providing they were refused service in the bar). Who'd of been responsible then? The off-licence for giving him the drink? I don't think so..


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    #19
    \m/_(>_<)_\m/
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,222 ✭✭✭\m/_(>_<)_\m/


    connundrum wrote:

    To me this is like a fat person sueing McDonalds. But by law the man shouldn't have been served.

    Tricky one. :(

    well drug dealers are held responsible for selling drugs to people, if you buy medicine from a pharmacy and they get the dosage wrong its the pharmacy is held responsible.

    so ya the publican should be held responsible..


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    #20
    Gurgle
    Closed Accounts Posts: 5,064 ✭✭✭Gurgle


    doubledown wrote:
    Anyone who drinks 18 brandys in 90 minutes is an idiot.
    But if he wasn't an idiot to start with, the first 5 brandys would make him one as they would shut down the part of the brain responsible for telling him when to stop.

    Hence the law.

    Barman can't drink at work and is responsible for deciding when someone has had too much.


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    #21
    Froot
    Closed Accounts Posts: 546 ✭✭✭Froot


    User45701 wrote:
    the only reason that have that law is its a excuse not to serve rowdy people

    WTF are you talking about?

    Its clearly there to avoid pointless sh!tty situations, such as the family of the aforementioned idiot suing and end up taking €100k off you...

    Thats just an idea though :rolleyes:


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    #22
    seamus
    Registered Users Posts: 68,317 ✭✭✭✭seamus


    Gurgle wrote:
    But if he wasn't an idiot to start with, the first 5 brandys would make him one as they would shut down the part of the brain responsible for telling him when to stop.

    Hence the law.

    Barman can't drink at work and is responsible for deciding when someone has had too much.
    Well, does anyone have a link to any more information? For example, did the man go up to the bar for each brandy, or did he order ten at a time? Or perhaps they ordered a bottle each and took shot glasses down?

    At the speed he was drinking, he could easily have had up to 10 shots before any massively decreased motor skills were observed. It's also possible that he/they were served by multiple bar people who weren't aware, or were otherwise not keeping track of the amount the men were drinking.

    If they were drinking the shots in doubles, triple or glasses, it also increases the chance that their intoxication simply wasn't spotted in time.

    While I'm not trying to absolve the publican from blame, I don't believe that even the most cold-hearted of publican would continue to serve alcohol to someone who would be incapable of holding themselves up (which the man would have been, well before the 18th shot).

    There is also the possibility that while the man was fairly legless, he was also quite lucid, and the alcohol simply exaggerated a preexisting condition - high blood pressure, diabetes, etc - and killed him.


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    #23
    TerrorFirmer
    Closed Accounts Posts: 29,930 ✭✭✭✭TerrorFirmer


    I remember hearing about this awhile back alright, at the time my father told me about a guy he'd known years ago who did something similar - he tried to drink an entire bottle of whiskey for a bet, and promptly dropped dead a very short while later.

    Poor guys family though, what an awful way to go, due to your own stupidity. Its hard to say the publican is to blame though at the same time without further info, as above.


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    #24
    petes
    Registered Users Posts: 8,382 ✭✭✭petes


    I can remember hearing about it but I can't find any links or info about it.This seems to be the biggest hit on google:

    http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/11/20/1069027201467.html


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    #25
    Sleepy
    Registered Users Posts: 24,171 ✭✭✭✭Sleepy


    The publican should be prosecuted for serving alcohol to an intoxicated person and fined for that offence by the state.

    The family, however, have no right to compensation for the idiocy of their dead father/husband. (unless he had life insurance that didn't have a suicide clause).


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    #26
    seamus
    Registered Users Posts: 68,317 ✭✭✭✭seamus


    Sleepy wrote:
    The publican should be prosecuted for serving alcohol to an intoxicated person and fined for that offence by the state.
    Well, based on what we have in this thread, there is no evidence to suggest that this is the case. After all, if an off-licence serves you two bottles of vodka and you drink them and promptly drop dead, they haven't done anything wrong, right?

    That said, if it is a case that the publican supplied them with an initially huge volume of alcohol for consumption on the premises - say a tray of brandy shots or two bottles of brandy - then it certainly is a case of extreme negligence. If his/her solicitor advised them to settle out of court, then there was probably a strong case against them.


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    #27
    KamiKazi
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 6,201 ✭✭✭KamiKazi


    GaRtH_V wrote:
    1 shot of brandy = 35.5 cl

    35.5 ml......


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    #28
    garthv
    Hosted Moderators Posts: 4,698 ✭✭✭garthv


    KamiKazi wrote:
    35.5 ml......

    Wow...
    People on these boards really have too much time on their hands.


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    #29
    Giblet
    Registered Users Posts: 11,977 ✭✭✭✭Giblet


    You're the one who tried to be the smart pants.


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    #30
    garthv
    Hosted Moderators Posts: 4,698 ✭✭✭garthv


    Giblet wrote:
    You're the one who tried to be the smart pants.
    Smart pants?
    I worked in a bar for years...its common knowledge....
    Just putting it in perspective is all


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    #31
    Alfasudcrazy
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,501 ✭✭✭Alfasudcrazy


    Publicans are a greedy and unscrupulous lot. They don't care about anything other than their profits. I know as I work 'in the field' so to speak.

    Anything goes, underage drinking, serving alcoholics knowing their families are suffering at home, leave people drive home drunk, stuff as many in as possible - most don't even know what their patron limit is under the fire regulations. They generally are no better than drug pushers - I have no respect for them whatever. :)


This discussion has been closed.
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