Philip Lutzenkirchen Autopsy: Blood Alcohol Content 0.377

This is indeed tragic news, a permanent stain of shame awash a wave of indignation.

To put things in perspective, Blood Alcohol Content is expressed in percentages and abbreviated as BAC. In medical terminology, it measures a concentration ratio of blood to ethanol alcohol (beverage alcohol).

So, BAC of 0.10 (which is 0.10%, or one tenth of one percent) would be written as BAC 0.1, and would mean there is 0.10 g (gram) of alcohol present in every deciLiter (dL) of blood.

So in other words, with a BAC of 0.377 Mr. Lutzenkirchen was EXCEEDINGLY DRUNK, quite possibly even to the point of alcoholic toxicosis (alcohol poisoning), and very possibly, unconsciousness.

There is no doubt he was a beloved collegiate athletic figure.

For him to die in such an undignified manner… I have no words.

There are four very sorrowful lessons which may be learned in this tragedy:
1.) FRONT OR BACK, ALWAYS WEAR YOUR SEAT BELT;
2.) NEVER EVER DRIVE INTOXICATED;
3.) NEVER EVER ALLOW ANYONE INTOXICATED TO DRIVE, and;
4.) NEVER EVEN THINK ABOUT RIDING WITH AN INTOXICATED DRIVER.

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UPDATE: Friday, 08August2014; Add Linked Story

Philip Lutzenkirchen, aged 23, Auburn University great Tight End #43 & Ian Davis, U of Georgia athlete killed in wreck ejection

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Philip Lutzenkirchen and driver were legally drunk in deadly crash, according to toxicology report

By Brandon Marcello | bmarcello@al.com
@bmarcello on Twitter
on August 06, 2014 at 9:45 AM, updated August 06, 2014 at 10:29 AM

AUBURN, Alabama – Former Auburn star Philip Lutzenkirchen and the driver of the vehicle that crashed on June 30 and resulted in their deaths were both legally drunk, according to documents released Wednesday.

Wesleyan’s Ian Davis (5) steals second base in a game vs. Greater Atlanta Christian School on March 25, 2008, in Norcross. (Jason Getz / AJC) Davis was the driver of a vehicle in a multiple-fatality crash in the early morning hours of June 29, 2014. The vehicle failed to stop at a stop sign and traveled approximately 451 feet before overturning several times in a church yard, according to Georgia State Patrol. Davis and former Auburn Tigers tight end Philip Lutzenkirchen died in the crash. Photo by Jason Getz.

Joseph Ian Davis, the driver, registered a blood alcohol content level of 0.17 (the legal limit in Georgia is 0.08); Lutzenkirchen, who was seated in the back seat, registered a blood alcohol level of 0.377.

Davis and Lutzenkirchen died at the scene of the single-vehicle accident, which occurred shortly after 3 a.m. in Troup County outside of LaGrange, Georgia.

Police suspected alcohol was used by each of the four occupants of the vehicle in an initial traffic crash report. Blood toxicology tests were conducted only on Davis and Lutzenkirchen as part of the death investigation.

Davis failed to stop at a stop sign at a T-intersection, crossing an intersecting road and impacting a ditch at an unknown speed before traveling an additional 89 feet and striking another ditch, according to the traffic crash report. The vehicle traveled further along the edge of a church driveway before hitting a fence, going airborne 42 feet and overturning several times near Upper Big Springs and Lower Big Springs roads.

Lutzenkirchen, 23, was ejected from the back seat of the 2006 Chevrolet Tahoe and died at the scene. He was not wearing a seat belt. Davis was partially ejected and was not wearing a seat belt.

Davis tried out for the University of Georgia baseball team last fall.

Elizabeth Ann Seton Craig, 22, of Eatonton, Ga., was also ejected. Christian Tanner Case, 20, of Dadeville, Ala., was injured. Both survivors were transported to West Georgia Health Systems in LaGrange.

Auburn tight end Philip Lutzenkirchen died June 30 in a one-vehicle crash in LaGrange. Butch Dill / Getty Images

An officer was dispatched at 3:17 a.m. and arrived at the scene at 4:17 a.m., according to the traffic crash report. A resident near the accident said the two survivors knocked on her door, asking for her to call the police, according to WSBTV. She called the police and Craig and Case returned to the scene of the accident with a flashlight. When Craig and Case returned to the neighbor’s door, she called the police again.

“It wasn’t maybe 10 minutes until [the police] were out here,” the neighbor said. “That was about 3 o’clock this morning.”

The first state trooper arrived on the scene at 3:50 a.m. and the investigating trooper arrived at 4:17 a.m., a Georgia State Patrol spokesperson said Monday.

Lutzenkirchen, a Marietta, Ga., native, has been remembered for his kindness and generosity, as much as the talent he displayed during his four-year career at Auburn. He caught 14 touchdowns between 2009 and 2012, setting the school record for scores by a tight end. His career ended midway through his senior season due to a hip injury.

A public memorial in Marietta attracted thousands of fans and friends, who remembered and celebrated one of the most beloved players in Auburn history.

http://www.al.com/auburnfootball/index.ssf/2014/08/philip_lutzenkirchen_and_drive.html

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Ex-Auburn star Lutzenkirchen, driver drunk at time of crash

Updated: 3:14 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 6, 2014 | Posted: 12:24 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 6, 2014

By Taylor West
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Former Auburn football star Philip Lutzenkirchen and the car’s driver were drunk at the time of the car accident that left them dead and two other passengers injured, according to a toxicology report released Wednesday and first reported by Alabama news site al.com.

The driver, Joseph Ian Davis, 22, had a blood alcohol content level of 0.17, twice the legal limit of 0.08, and Lutzenkirchen, 23, registered a BAC more than four times the legal limit at 0.377, according to documents obtained by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Both Davis and Lutzenkirchen died at the scene of the 3 a.m. LaGrange single-car wreck.

Lutzenkirchen, a backseat passenger, was ejected, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution previously reported, Davis was partially ejected and backseat passenger Elizabeth Ann Seaton Craig, 22, of Eatonton, also ejected, was transported to West Georgia Medical Center in LaGrange and has since been released.

Front seat passenger Christian Tanner Case, 20, of Dadeville, Ala., was treated and released from West Georgia Medical. He is the only passenger reported to have been wearing a seat belt.

Lutzenkirchen, a 2009 Lassiter High School graduate from Marietta, was a top college prospect who went on to a successful career at Auburn University. During his time as a record-breaking tight end, he helped take the team to a national championship in 2010. Davis, of Dunwoody, was an honor roll student at the University of Georgia with ties to the baseball team, though he was never on the team.

http://www.ajc.com/news/news/former-auburn-star-lutzenkirchen-driver-drunk-at-t/ngwqG/

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Friends, family, teammates and fans gathered to remember Philip Lutzenkirchen during a memorial service at Lassiter High School in east Cobb on Wednesday evening July 2, 2014. Lutzenkirchen was a star football player at Lassiter and Auburn who died in a car accident. Photo by Ben Gray

Friends, family, teammates and fans listen to remembrances about Philip Lutzenkirchen during a memorial service at Lassiter High School in east Cobb on Wednesday evening July 2, 2014. Lutzenkirchen was a star football player at Lassiter and Auburn who died in a car accident.

The Rev. Chette Williams, Auburn University Athletics Chaplain, remembers Philip Lutzenkirchen during a memorial service at Lassiter High School in east Cobb on Wednesday evening July 2, 2014. Lutzenkirchen was a star football player at Lassiter and Auburn who died in a car accident.

Auburn University Head Football Coach Gus Malzahn, facing, hugs Philip Lutzenkirchen’s father during a memorial service at Lassiter High School in east Cobb on Wednesday evening July 2, 2014. Lutzenkirchen was a star football player at Lassiter and Auburn who died in a car accident.

Friends, family, teammates and fans hold candles in memory of Philip Lutzenkirchen during a memorial service at Lassiter High School in east Cobb on Wednesday evening July 2, 2014. Lutzenkirchen was a star football player at Lassiter and Auburn who died in a car accident. BEN GRAY / BGRAY@AJC.COM