16-year-old boy dies after drinking large diet soda, latte and energy drink

A 16-year-old boy from South Carolina who died after collapsing at his school last month had so consumed so much caffeine that it killed him, a medical examiner said on Monday.

Davis Allen Cripe fell unconscious in a classroom at Spring Hill High School on April 26 and later died at Palmetto Health Parkridge Hospital in Columbia, South Carolina, according to WLTX.

At a press conference on Monday afternoon, Richland County Coroner Gary Watts said the teen had consumed multiple caffeinated beverages, including a large diet Mountain Dew, a McDonald's cafe latte and an unidentified energy drink, within the 2 hour span before he became ill.

According to Watts, this steep caffeine consumption tragically led to a cardiac event that killed Cripe, who was described as a model student.

"We lost Davis from a totally legal substance," Watts said. "He was totally against drugs, he was totally against alcohol. He didn't do any of that."

Watts says like many, Cripe had thought the drinks were totally harmless -- but the coroner warns that caffeinated beverages can actually be very harmful.

"These drinks can be very dangerous," Watts said. "I'm telling my friends and family, Don't drink them."

In his obituary, Cripe is described as an amazing son who "was larger than life and he did everything with great passion. He made us and his friends, laugh non-stop and had an immense love for music and its healing power. He had a personality you couldn't help but fall in love with."