Times-Union readers want to know:

Is it true that the Ice Bucket Challenge has killed some people?

There have been no verifiable reports of deaths directly from the Ice Bucket Challenge, a social media campaign that aims to raise awareness and money to fight amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, more commonly called Lou Gehrig’s disease.

There have been injuries associated with it, though not directly caused by ice water thrown on someone’s head. Abroad, however, the so-called “ice water game” has caused some deaths, but those challenges were not affiliated in any way with the current charitable endeavor.

Slideshow: BELIEVE IT OR NOT: World Record Ice Bucket Challenge at Ripley's on Aug. 23 

Several variations of the ice bucket death rumor have appeared in area inboxes; most frequently, the main causes of alleged death are shock after being exposed to freezing water and a slippery ice bucket.

The video claim that teenager Sergio Cardozo died after a bucket slipped and fell on him was sent over Twitter, according to Snopes.com. Many people who re-tweeted the “video” said the rap artist Drake originated the message because both the accounts have the same display. But the fake tweet is from someone with the handle @Drrake (note the double “r”).

An earlier claim involved the other scenario, Snopes.com reported; in that, a woman named Latasha Brown accepted the Ice Bucket Challenge from a Facebook friend, only to die in less than a minute due to a heart attack or hypothermia.

That information originated with an article published on Huzlers, a website self-described as “a combination of real shocking news and satire,” Snopes.com found. In addition, the photograph accompanying the Huzlers article was not of “Latasha Brown,” but rather a still-alive woman named Sandra Robinson whose photo had been included in a much-earlier Natchez Democrat article about ice challenge participants.

These untrue accounts don’t mean there haven’t been injuries associated with the challenge. Again, the serious injuries did not occur from ice water or slippery buckets.

In Campbellsville, Ky., four firefighters from the Fire and Rescue Department were seriously injured after they helped the Campbellsville University band participate in a group challenge, CNN reported.

Two firefighters in the fire truck’s bucket sprayed water on the students during the event. Afterward, when the firefighters were moving the ladder back to the truck, it got too near power lines and electricity shocked the two men. One is hospitalized in critical condition, while the other is in fair condition.

The two men on the ground were also shocked when an electric current traveled down the extended ladder, CNN reported.

Snopes.com does report that some earlier fatal incidents occurred overseas before the ice challenge became a social media trend. At that time, the challenge was a drinking game unlinked to charity donations and referred to as “neknominate:”

According to Snopes.com research:

■ In July, a New Zealand man died hours after participating in what was then called the “cold water game” or “ice challenge.” Willis Tepania, 40, died of a heart attack after consuming alcohol and participating in the challenge. It was not immediately clear whether the ice bucket challenge contributed to Tepania’s death.

■ Also in July, a German man was crushed by equipment on a building site after heavy machinery tipped during a neknominate challenge. Several others were injured.

■ In June, a French teen drowned in another version of the dare after tying a bike to his ankle and diving into a body of water.

As far as the ALS challenge goes, it has been wildly successful. The ALS Association has received over $41.8 million in donations compared to $2.1 million during the same time last year, CNN reported.


Carole Fader: (904) 359-4635