Judging by the number of KFC chains in the country, it’s safe to say that Indonesians finger lickin’ love the colonel’s chicken. Sadly, one Jakarta man’s love for KFC (and/or quest for a huge prize money) ended up killing him during an eating contest.
Last Friday, 45-year-old Freedi Djajadi entered a KFC speed eating competition, in which contestants had to eat three pieces of deep fried chicken in 5 minutes. The overall winner of the competition would be rewarded with Rp 5 billion.
Freedi, who entered the preliminary stage of the competition at a KFC chain in Cengkareng, West Jakarta, was reportedly speed eating into his third wing when he choked on his food. Freedi died minutes later after he was only given a glass of water to help clear his throat.
Jakarta Metro Police Spokesman Mohammad Iqbal said the reason why nobody thought of doing the Heimlich maneuver or any other medically-approved methods to alleviate choking was because the event organizers failed to have any medical professionals present at the contest.
“But they won’t release a statement [admitting negligence],” Iqbal said, as quoted by Vivanews yesterday.
KFC Indonesia may be off the hook, as they say the competition was fully initiated and run by a separate company. In a press release presented on the competition’s official website, www.menang5miliar.com, the event’s organizer, PT Makmur Usaha Fobe Inko (O2 Accion), confirmed this and said they take full moral and material responsibility for Freedi’s death.
They have also cancelled the competition and are going to refund the entrance fees to all registered contestants.
It remains to be seen if they will be criminally charged for failing to provide the appropriate safety measures during the eating competition.
