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Daily Camera, The (Boulder, CO) October 5, 2004 Alcohol caused CU pledge`s death Coroner: Blood-alcohol level 0.328 Author: Aimee Heckel, Camera Staff Writer Section: News Page: A1 Article Text: Lynn Gordon "Gordie" Bailey Jr. would`ve had to drink the equivalent of almost a half a handle of whiskey -- 17 shots -- in 30 minutes during a fraternity function that resulted in his death, based on preliminary autopsy results. The Boulder County coroner ruled Monday the 18-year-old Chi Psi pledge died of alcohol poisoning in the fraternity house Sept. 17. No drugs or foul play were involved. The coroner said Bailey`s blood-alcohol level was 0.328 -- below 0.40, typically considered the lethal threshold. "Obviously, there`s no magical number," said John Meyer, Boulder County forensic pathologist. Bailey`s blood-alcohol level was 0.108 lower than that of Colorado State University sophomore Samantha Spady. She died of alcohol poisoning Sept. 6 with a BAC of 0.436. Officials estimated she drank 30 to 40 alcoholic beverages over 11 hours. Boulder police said recently they were awaiting results of Bailey`s toxicology tests in deciding whether to bring charges. Spokeswoman Julie Brooks said Monday investigators won`t decide for several days or weeks whether to cite anyone. Chi Psi national officials plan to rule in the next few days whether to shut CU`s chapt! er down. "This was one of the final pieces that we had been waiting for to complete our investigation," said Donald Beeson, risk-management administrator for Chi Psi headquarters. Bailey`s family declined to comment on the coroner`s report Monday night. "I do not look at it scientifically. The end result has been made clear to all of us. ... The fact remains that Gordie is just not with us today," Andrew Freedman, a friend of the family, said from Bailey`s parents` Dallas home Monday evening. Police said members of the Chi Psi fraternity took Bailey and other pledges to a campsite near Gold Hill after a pledge ceremony at 6 p.m. Sept. 16. Police said members brought four handled bottles of 80-proof Ten High Bourbon Whiskey and six 1.5-liter bottles of Carlo Rossi wine. Police said pledges and members drank for 30 minutes before returning to the fraternity house, where they drank beer. Bailey`s friends said he didn`t drink back at! the house. Online blood-alcohol calculators show the 230-pou nd student would`ve had to consume 17 shots of whiskey or 25.5 glasses of 20-proof wine in 30 minutes for his blood alcohol to reach its fatal level. That`s 0.75 of a liter of whiskey -- nearly half of the 1.75-liter handle -- or two bottles of wine. Pathologist Meyer and Coroner Tom Faure refused to comment on Bailey`s specific case. However, Meyer said how much a body can take before shutting down depends on how fast and what a person drinks, as well as the person`s tolerance level. Some people can die with alcohol levels in the 0.20s, while longtime alcoholics can tolerate up to the 0.60s, he said. Shortly after Bailey`s death, his family said he wasn`t a big partier. Meyer also said blood-alcohol levels can fluctuate over time and possibly by 10 percent after death. He said the death may not occur at the level`s highest point. In most alcohol-poisoning deaths, Meyer said the brain slows breathing down until it stops. People al! so can choke on their vomit, he said, but that usually is classified differently on autopsy reports. Bailey`s final autopsy won`t be released for several weeks. During the 911 call the morning Bailey died, his friends said he had dried vomit on him. CU Chancellor Richard Byyny said in a written statement the coroner`s report "tragically underscores the dangers associated with the misuse and abuse of alcohol." CU is looking at intensified educational programs and changes in Greek life. In addition to the two Colorado deaths, two other students were recently found dead inside fraternity houses -- one in Arkansas and another in Oklahoma. Alcohol was involved in both deaths, officials said. In 1995, 318 people ages 15 to 24 died from alcohol poisoning, many of them after a night of binge drinking at college, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Contact Camera Staff Writer Aimee Heckel at (303) 4! 73-1359 or heckela@dailycamera.com. Caption: Bailey All content copyright (c) 2004 Daily Camera and may not be republished without permission. Record Number: 1058C6F120A54AAD |