Man’s 56 Shots Of Alcohol ‘Likely’ Killed Him, Bar Owner Faces Manslaughter Trial
A high-profile trial is underway in France over a man’s death from drinking 56 shots of alcohol. A bar owner has been charged with manslaughter after allegedly egging a patron on to break a shot record. The man downed the booze, but died after the epic binge, wrote The Local.
The incident took place in midst of the country’s supposed tough stance on public consumption of alcoholic beverages. Monday, court proceedings began for judges to decide if the owner of Le Starter bar in central city of Clermont-Ferrand is culpable in the death of a man known only as Renaud.
A bar owner is on trial for the death of a customer who drank 56 shots (France) http://t.co/baXtPU1xdP #alcohol via @DrugScope
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The daughter of the man who died accompanied the 57-year-old to the watering hole in October of last year. A ubiquitous sign was posted in the bar that advertised the previous record – then, 55 shots of alcohol.
Surrounded by other patrons and teetotalers, the man drank 30 shooters that consisted of various mixtures of hard booze. All told, the man allegedly consumed a liter or more of spirits. The impaired man later died of cardiac arrest at home after being carried home.
According to Antoine Portal, a family attorney for the deceased, the bar owner allegedly encouraged her father to continue when he reached 30 shots, by saying “only 12 to go.”
“It is not known whether he would still be alive if he had not drunk the last 12 shots, but by making down those last shots, he was left with no chance.
“It was a case of inciting someone to consume. That’s an extremely serious mistake for a bar owner.”
Contrary to the family’s allegations, the defendant’s lawyers said their client actually tried to cut the man off of the alcohol, but he continued until he drank 56 shots. Attorney Renaud Portejoie, said he and the bar owner acknowledge that the sign may have been a “mistake,” the man is responsible for his own actions.
“When you are the owner of a bar and an order has been placed, you cannot always verify who is drinking what. We cannot stand behind every customer. The customers are responsible for themselves as are their families and friends.”
France, spearheaded by efforts from government officials, is trying to undergo a paradigm shift. The country is considering legislation that curtails binge drinking.
Pundits say the reckless consumption of alcohol and spirits is largely influenced by habits that are spawned from U.S. and British traditions and norms. In a previous Inquisitr report, a study showed that binging on alcohol is dangerous for the immune systems, especially among young adults.
Do you think a man who consumes 56 shots of alcohol is responsible for his own death? Or should the owner of the bar bear some of the blame? Of so, to what extent?
[Photo by David Silverman/Getty Images]
