A man who was participating in a taco-eating contest during a minor league baseball game died after appearing to choke.
Dana Hutchings, 41, of Fresno was taking part in the contest during a Fresno Grizzlies game on “Taco Tuesday” when officials say he began to choke on the meat-filled Mexican cuisine.
Fans who were at the stadium recounted Hutchings collapsing onto the ground in the middle of the competition, which was a precursor to the Grizzlies’ annual Taco Truck Throwdown, a Saturday event billed as “the greatest taco event in the world.”
Emergency personnel attempted the Heimlich maneuver and CPR before Hutchings was raced to a hospital where he died. Authorities have not yet confirmed the cause of death and an autopsy is planned, but officials suspect asphyxiation may have been the cause.
“It’s just very sad,” Fresno County sheriff’s spokesman Toni Botti said.
