A high school football coach in Kentucky was charged with the wrongful death of a teenager who collapsed at a football practice on a hot day.
Sophomore Max Gilpin, a 15-year-old offensive lineman for Pleaseure Ridge Park, had trouble breathing and fell when the heat index reached 94 degrees in Louisville during practice. Gilpin checked into a hospital where he had a temperature of 107. He died three days later.
Our wrongful death lawyers know this kind of thing happens too often. Football coaches at all levels sometimes push their players too hard. It happens in the NFL — Minnesota Vikings player Kory Stringer is a famous example of how the heat can be deadly on the practice fields – it happens at the collegiate level, and it also happens in high school.
The rules that the Kentucky High School Athletic Association (KHSAA) set protect players by outlining how practices should be conducted and when they should be canceled for extreme heat. According to the National Athletic Trainers Association, at 82 degrees, coaches should consider rescheduling practices or events until safer conditions present.
In 2007, a 16-year-old Henderson County, Kentucky high school football player named Ryan Owens also collapsed due to extreme heat exposure. His parents filed a wrongful death lawsuit against coaches, school officials as well as the KHSAA.
Heat exhaustion can be a very serious problem for athletes — especially young athletes. Preparation for football season usually happens in the extremely warm summer months of July and August. Players of all ages should always stay as hydrated as possible while playing, and coaches need to be responsible and be willing to cancel a practice for the safety of their players.
Wrongful death lawyers know there are many reasons why deaths happen. However, we believe that if precautions can be taken to prevent wrongful deaths, they should be, such as obtaining proper medical treatment for personal injuries immediately before they get worse. Failure to do so could cost lives.
Call us now at 1-800-655-6585 or click here for a free consultation with an experienced personal injury attorney and find out how we can help you. We speak English and Spanish, and we look forward to providing advice for your case. No fee if no recovery.
About Michael PinesMichael Pines is a former insurance company attorney who specializes in car accident injury. While he was an insurance attorney, he learned from behind the scenes on how insurance companies work and how they decided to pay injured people. Now that he works against insurance companies, Michael's inside knowledge has resulted in significant benefits to his clients injured in car accidents.
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Tags: h.s. football, heat stroke, Kory Stringer, wrongful death
Thank you for all your help