A 20 year old man died of an asthma attack after being injected with and smoking Vegemite, a coroner was told today.

An autopsy found that Peter Sandel Ford, unemployed, had acute bronchitis when he died at his flat in Lennox Street, Richmond, on 8 September.

A friend (!!!! pdt) of the dead man, Julian Morris Evans, 21, a labourer, of Lower Templestowe, told the Coroner's Court that he injected Mr Ford with 0.8 ml of a Vegemite-water solution at about 10:45 pm on 8 September.

The court was told that two minutes later, Mr Ford complained of breathing trouble. He died minutes after ambulance officers arrived.

The pair had earlier smoked a mixture of Vegemite, tobacco & crushed vitamin B.

The two had been friends for 10 years, Mr Evans told the inquest. He said Mr Ford had regularly used amphetamines, marijuana, alcohol, and prescribed (Did she mean prescription? pdt) Valium, Serepax and Rohypnol.

The coroner, Ms Wendy Willams, found that no one conrtibuted to Mr Ford's death, which she said might have occured independently of the intravenous use of vegemite.

Submitted on 08/29/2006

Submitted by: Andrew Dunbar
Reference: Melbourne Age, Tues 24th, p3

Copyright © 2006 DarwinAwards.com

James said:
Maybe Toss: Other
This is certainly odd. I know that vegemite (some sort of spreadable yeast extract peculiar to Australia/New Zealand which was made famous in an 80s pop tune) tastes vile to the uninitiated, but I'm not quite sure of its lethality. People have injected themselves with far more lethal compounds and lived. I can't really see stupidity here, but it IS bizarre!

Sheryl said:
Maybe Toss: Other
VEGEMITE? Ye Gods, what will they think of next? Vegemite is for eating, not injecting (or smoking). Interesting story but with the other drugs/alcohol involved with this guy, I'm voting to toss this one. PS: James, Vegemite is very nice, thank you.

Fitzroy said:
Neutral: Honorable Mention
I'm trying to keep this one in the running even though it appears asthma rather than stupidity was the killer here. Yet stupidity was present and remarkable. I've never let anyone who wasn't a medical professional stick me with a needle (myself included.) Injecting a vegetable paste really stuns me. In any case, I'm glad the guy didn't try IV cannabis -- those seeds and stems can really impede circulation.

Jorge said:
Definitely Keep: Darwin Award
Only in Australia!

Graham said:
Definitely Keep: Darwin Award
'Marmite' has been around for decades, folowed by 'Vegemite' and 'Fray Bentos' - all vegetable/yeast extracts. But injecting them? Too bizarre for words. Considering what these guys smoked/injected in the past, it's anyone's guess what they were thinking. As these substances are saccharomyces, an asthma attack is highly likely, especially if injected. Stupid? You bet!

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