Mum, 35, dies from 'drinking too much water'

A mother-of-two has reportedly died after drinking an excessive amount of water in a short space of time.

Ashley Summers, 35, passed out at her home in Indiana on 4 July after a long weekend of boating with her family and never regained consciousness.

Her brother Devon Miller said she had complained of feeling dehydrated earlier in the day, as she feted the long weekend with her husband and two daughters at a local reservoir.

She felt lightheaded and insatiably thirsty, so swiftly downed four bottles of water, according to Devon.

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He told CBS News that Ashley drank almost two litres of water (64oz) in just 20 minutes, noting: “That’s what you’re supposed to drink in a whole day.”

After making it home that evening, she lost consciousness and was rushed to hospital.

Devon recalled: “My sister Holly called me, and she was just an absolute wreck. She’s like, ‘Ashley’s in the hospital. She has brain swelling. They don’t know what’s causing it. They don’t know what they can do to get it to go down and it’s, it’s not looking good’.”

Doctors later told the family that Ashley had died from water toxicity.

“It was a shock to all of us when they first started talking about water toxicity. And it was like, ‘This is a thing?’” her brother told CBS.

Ashley downed four bottles of water in just 20 minutes, her brother saidMiller-Roscka Funeral Home

Dr. Blake Froberg, a toxicologist at the Indiana University School of Medicine, told the news outlet that water toxicity occurs when somebody drinks too much water too quickly.

“There are certain things that can make somebody more at risk for it, but the overall thing that happens is that you have too much water and not enough sodium in your body,” Froberg said.

Symptoms associated with water toxicity include muscle cramps and soreness, nausea and headaches. However, as Dr Froberg noted, it’s not a common condition.

Still, the specialist stressed that people who work outdoors or exercise a lot during the summer months need to drink fluids containing electrolytes, rather than over-consume plain water.

Adding to the doctor's remarks, Devon said: “The warning takeaway that I take from it is if I’m thirsty and I drink a bottle of water and I still feel like I haven’t got enough that might be the, the light bulb for me to go, ‘OK, you know what? I need to drink a Gatorade'."

An obituary to Ashley, posted online, read: “Ashley was an avid softball player and coached her kids softball teams.

Ashley loved her time on the lake and spending time with her family, and friends. She was a devoted wife, mother, daughter, sister and family was her everything.

“Her family is thankful that she was able to continue her love through organ donation with Indiana Donor Network, giving the gift of life to many others.”

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