TRAGIC

Australian Man Dies Eight Years After Eating Slug on a Dare: Report

Sam Ballard contracted rat lungworm and remained comatose for 420 days.

An Australian man who ate a slug eight years ago and contracted rat lungworm died Friday, USA Today reports. Sam Ballard, then 19-years-old, reportedly ate the slug in 2010 on a dare from friends. He reportedly started complaining of “serious leg pains” days later and was diagnosed with rat lungworm—a parasitic worm normally found in rats and slugs who eat larvae found on rat feces. Ballard then fell into a coma for 420 days. He was also reportedly diagnosed with “an acquired brain injury.” According to Australian news anchor Lisa Wilkinson, Ballard passed away Friday morning at Hornsby Hospital while “surrounded by 20 of those he most loved in the world.” Ballard’s mother, Katie Ballard, reportedly said her son “didn't do anything wrong” when he ate the slug. “It was just a silly thing,” she said.