Police are trying to figure out how two people died and 19 others fell ill while in a sweat lodge at the Angel Valley Spiritual Retreat on Thursday. The two people that died were 38-year-old Kirby Brown and 40-year-old James Shore. The two victims, along with other participants, were attending the "Spiritual Warrior" program run by James Arthur Ray, a self-help expert based in Southern California. Program participants paid over $9,000 each.
Up to 65 people may have been in the lodge for the purification ceremony, which lasted a couple of hours. According to Native American traditions expert Joseph Bruchac, who is quoted in the New York Times, there are usually only about 8 - 12 people at a time in a sweat lodge.
On average, the lodge is about four and a half feet tall. Water is poured on hot rocks and participants' bodies are supposed to undergo a cleansing while in the lodge. Bruchac says that sweat lodge ceremonies usually last no more than an hour.
Investigators have ruled out carbon monoxide poisoning as a cause of death. According to Yavapai County sheriff Steve Waugh, lodge participants fasted for 36 hours until early Thursday morning when they ate a breakfast buffet.
The other people who were taken to the hospital were suffering from a variety of conditions, such as elevated body temperature, kidney failure, and respiratory arrest.
Police are trying to determine whether criminal charges should be filed against anyone.
Personal Injury
Premise owners and supervisors, as well as those in charge of running or supervising an event on a property can be held liable for premises liability, personal injury or wrongful death if a dangerous or hazardous condition on a premise caused the injury or death. Negligent or careless or reckless actions by those in charge of a property or event can also lead to a civil suit against the responsible party.
You can find out if you have grounds for an Orange County, California personal injury claim or lawsuit by speaking with an experienced Anaheim injury law firm.
2 dead after hours in Ariz. sweat lodge identified, Associated Press/Google, October 10, 2009
Questions About 'Sweat Lodge' Rite Where 2 Died, New York Times, October 10, 2009
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