Family Of Man Who Died In Taco Eating Competition Files Lawsuit

FRESNO, CA — The family of a Fresno man who died during a taco eating contest at a minor league baseball game two summers ago has sued the owners of the Low-A Fresno Grizzlies.

Lawyers for the family of Dana Hutchings say the team did not make the 41-year-old man fully aware of the risks of the Aug. 13, 2019 competition at Chukchansi Park, the Fresno Bee and others have reported.

"The conductors of this event should have made the risks known to the competitors and taken steps to protect them,” Martin Taleisnik, lawyer for Hutchings' 18-year-old son, Marshall Hutchings, said, according to the Bee.

Lawyers for the defendants, Fresno Sports and Events LLC, have declined media requests for comments on the lawsuit that claims negligence.

The local coroner's office in 2019 determined Dana Hutchings died from choking on the tacos. Hutchings collapsed a few minutes into the contest, according to reports.

“Fresno Sports and Event, LLC., failed to fully inform decedent, Dana Hutchings, of every risk he was accepting when he agreed to enter the amateur taco-eating competition,” the lawsuit states, adding that the availability and consumption of alcohol during the event added to the risk even more.