Indicted High School Coach Found Not Guilty
Jury Acquitted Former Coach Stinson of Reckless Homicide
The trial of David Stinson was being closely followed by those working in the world of athletics as it was the first indictment of a coach in the death of a player from heat illness.
Death of Max Gilpin from Heat Illness
Stinson coached football at Pleasure Ridge Park High School in Louisville, Kentucky last year. One of Stinson’s football players, 15-year-old Max Gilpin, collapsed during practice on August 20, 2008 (CNN, September 17, 2009) and died three days later. Upon his collapse, his body temperature was 107 degrees.
The defense argued “that there was nothing wrong with the practice and that other factors may have contributed to Gilpin’s heat stroke” (CNN, September 17, 2009).
Although Stinson was found by a jury to be not guilty of reckless homicide in the death of Max Gilpin, questions need to be asked by athletic personnel as to how this young man’s body had a temperature of 107 during a football practice, and what can be learned from this experience that can be used in the future to prevent the deaths of other young athletes.
What can be Learned from His Death
Some questions to think about::
- Was the practice time altered to keep the boys out of the heat of mid-day during a practice in August in Kentucky?
- Were the boys practicing on turf or grass? Turf fields increase the temperature significantly when the boys are on the field.
- Were the boys wearing appropriate clothing for drills (too little or too much)?
- Was any of the coaching staff monitoring the humidity and temperature levels on the day of the collapse or on the days leading up to the collapse?
- Was any of the coaching staff trained in emergency first aid so that treatment could have been quickly rendered?
- Was any of the coaching staff trained in the signs and symptoms of heat illness so that the boy’s condition could have been recognized earlier?
- Were the drills being run that day appropriate for the humidity and temperature levels?
Coaches and Administrators Need Heat Illness and Basic First Aid Training
When a young life is lost while participating in sports, parents, coaches, and administrators at all levels need to take a careful look at the circumstances surrounding the death. Coaches and administrators need to carefully look at their own policies and procedures regarding practicing in hot weather to determine if enough safety factors are built in to the policies to safeguard their young athletes.
As important as understanding the signs and symptoms of heat illness, coaches at all levels need to be trained in emergency first aid and cardiopulmonary resuscitation. The coaches are the first responders when an athlete goes down. It is their duty and responsibility to be able to provide good and sufficient basic medical care until professional medical help arrives. Coaches without basic first aid training place their athletes at great risk.
Parents also have an important role in protecting their own children. Parents can monitor practices for safety issues. Parents may be the only protection their children have in the world of sports when competitive coaches may put the pressure to win over the safety of their athletes.
Gilpin’s parents have a filed a wrongful death lawsuit against six coaches at the high school. The suit claims “they were negligent in their actions and that more than 20 minutes passed between the time Gilpin collapsed and the time one of the coaches called paramedics” (CNN, September 17, 2009).
The last question, the head coach was not held guilty of Gilpin's death, but could his death have been prevented if the coaching staff had training in the prevention and recognition of heat illness in sports?
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