Second-Hand Obesity Kills

Like second-hand smoke, second-hand obesity is the impact obesity has on others around the obese person. This is a sad story, but I think this just might be the first instance of obesity leading to the death of someone besides the obese person:

LA JOYA, Texas (AP) -- A 2-year-old boy who died with a fractured skull might have been accidentally crushed by a morbidly obese relative, authorities say. Investigators believe that the woman fell on the child, who was pronounced dead Tuesday, said Bobby Contreras, Hidalgo County justice of the peace.

"It didn't look like there was any foul play from what I saw," he said.

An autopsy was scheduled, with the cause of death to be announced Monday. Hidalgo County Sheriff Lupe Trevino, who called the death "suspicious," said he would wait for an announcement on the cause before deciding whether to file charges. The child was believed to have been dropped off by his mother to spend the day with the bedridden relative, The McAllen Monitor reported Friday.

Sad to say, but it's little surprise that this happened in Texas.