Overview
- María José Ardila, 23, died after collapsing during a timed shots contest at Sagsa Bar in Cali while celebrating her birthday and spending five days in intensive care with irreversible neurological damage.
- The contest offered a 1,500,000 COP prize and required rapid sequences of shots and continuous drinking, with social media videos showing her attempting several tasks before losing consciousness.
- A prosecutor from the Fiscalía’s Unidad de Vida assumed the case, and the Instituto Nacional de Medicina Legal is conducting necropsy and toxicology analyses as investigators collect evidence.
- Industry representatives and local health inspectors reported the venue had required permits and legally traceable alcohol, though those findings do not address emergency preparedness or potential criminal liability.
- Her family alleges the bar failed to provide first aid, that she was taken to a clinic in a private vehicle, and that one drink tasted unusual, and they are evaluating legal action as toxicology experts warn such rapid-ingestion challenges can be lethal.