Darwin rears his ugly head in Florida
Posted: Mon Jun 05, 2006 9:18 pm
"Gee babe, if we go in there and breathe nothing but helium maybe we'll talk REALLY funny!!"
Fla. college students found dead inside promotional balloon
Posted 6/4/2006 12:35 PM ET
LUTZ, Fla. (AP) — Autopsy results were pending Sunday for two college students whose bodies were found inside a deflated promotional balloon.
The deaths of Jason Ackerman and Sara Rydman, both 21, appear to be accidental, Hillsborough County Sheriff's Maj. Bob Schrader said.
Their bodies were found partially inside a deflated helium balloon at the entrance of a condominium complex a few miles north of Tampa about 9:45 a.m. Saturday. The 8-foot diameter balloon was used to advertise the complex.
The students apparently pulled the balloon from the sky and squeezed through a small opening in the bottom, deputies said.
Rydman's mother told the St. Petersburg Times that authorities suggested to her that inhaling helium contributed to the deaths.
"It was more a fun thing they thought they were doing," Linda Rydman said. "You know how you blow up the balloon and suck the helium ..."
Inhaling helium can quickly lead to brain damage and death from lack of oxygen, according to the Compressed Gas Association, which develops safety standards in the gas industry.
Family members said Ackerman and Rydman attended high school together. Ackerman, son of a prominent Tampa jeweler, was a junior at the University of South Florida. Rydman was studying at Hillsborough Community College.
"I think she was mischievous to be honest with you," Linda Rydman said of her daughter. "She just liked fun, and I think it cost her."