Teen dies after downing dangerous amount of caffeinated drinks

A 16-year-old student has collapsed and died from heart problems at school after drinking too much caffeine.

Davis Cripe died when his heart fell out of rhythm at Spring Hill High School in Chapin, South Carolina, on April 26, the Daily Mail reports.

Cripe drank a large Mountain Dew, a McDonalds latte, and an energy drink in the two hours prior to his death.

Richland County Coroner Gary Watts said the teen had no pre-existing heart conditions and was otherwise healthy at the time of his death.

The 16-year-old's heartbroken father spoke at a press conference Monday announcing the coroner's findings.

Davis Cripe died when his heart fell out of rhythm at Spring Hill High School. Photo / Facebook

"Davis was a great kid, and being his parent was a great honor to Heidi [his mother] and me,' Sean Cripe said, according to WLTX.

"I stand before you as a brokenhearted father and hope that something good can come from this.

"Parents, please, talk to your kids about the dangers of these energy drinks.

"And teenagers and students, please stop buying them. There's no reason to consume them they can be very dangerous."

Coroner Watts echoed Sean Cripe's call for greater care when it comes to the consumption of high-caffeine products.

"This is what's dangerous about this - you can have five people line up and all of them do the exact same thing with him that day, drink more, and it may not have any type of effect on them at all," he said.

"It's not something that just because you drink one drink or three drinks is necessarily going to have this effect on."

The daily recommended limit for a healthy adult is 400mg of caffeine a day. That is equal to about four cups or coffee, or 10 cans of soda, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Assuming Cripe drank a large latte and energy drink, in addition to the large Mountain Dew, he would have had about 434mg.