Autopsy Indicates That Player Died From Game Injuries

A Reseda High football player who was found dead only hours after a football game Sept. 12 probably died of game-related head injuries, the Los Angeles County Coroner’s office said Friday.

An autopsy performed the day after Eric Hoggatt, 18, was found dead in bed concluded that the running back died of head trauma with subdural hemorrhage, meaning bleeding within the skull, said coroner’s spokesman Tom Schwabe.

Although the coroner’s office is not expected to release the complete autopsy report for two weeks, Schwabe said the bleeding seemed to have resulted from an accumulation of blows on the playing field.

“I would say that’s probably true”--that contact during the game caused the fatal injuries--Schwabe said.

Two high school football-related deaths in Southern California this season have touched off a debate over the treatment of high school athletes competing in contact sports. Adrian Taufaasau, a quarterback for Coronado High, died Sept. 22, two days after being injured in a game against Costa Mesa.

Some physicians suggested that Hoggatt’s symptoms after the game clearly indicated he should have received medical attention then.

The family’s attorney, Bonnie Fine, reacted to the autopsy with anger: “We have been advised that had action been taken, Eric’s life could have been saved,” she said. “He bled for hours before he died. If anyone had told his mother to take him to an emergency room, she would have.

“I think it’s pretty clear there’s negligence there.”

Fine said she is still conferring with the family over whether to file suit.

In the last two minutes of the high school’s Sept. 12 season opener, Hoggatt was ordered out of the game by Michael Hollander, a volunteer team physician, after complaining of dizziness and numbness in his legs and fingers, other players said.

But he was allowed to board a bus home to his South-Central Los Angeles home without any further medical examination, and his parents were not told of the symptoms.

His mother, Verna Hoggatt, later complained that the family should have been informed so someone could have awakened Hoggatt during the night, a common measure to check on the condition of those who have sustained blows to the head.

Los Angeles Unified School District spokesman Brad Sales had no comment on the autopsy findings, other than to say the district would seek clarification from the coroner’s office to determine whether the bleeding was caused by injuries sustained in the game.

“We’re not going to be commenting on any aspect of this because of potential litigation,” Sales said.

Hoggatt’s death has precipitated harsh feelings between the youth’s family and school officials, who, the family said, responded with hostility to their requests for a remembrance ceremony at the school, even threatening to have them arrested for trespassing on campus. School officials denied making such a threat.

After what relatives said was a confrontation with school administrators four days after the death, more than 40 students walked out of classes to attend an impromptu coffee shop memorial service. Students said administrators had to seal the campus to prevent a larger walkout, which school officials denied.

Meanwhile, Principal Bob Kladifko circulated a memo to the school faculty and staff, saying Hoggatt gave no indication of any physical problems after the game--contradicting earlier reports by Hoggatt’s teammates, a claim that Fine called “completely contrary” to the facts.

Hoggatt’s death followed that of an Orange County water polo player, Jaffet “Jeff” Campos of Saddleback High. Campos died, apparently of a heart attack, after collapsing at the pool Sept. 4.

There have been four football-related deaths in Southern California high schools in the last seven years. Sergio Echevarria, a San Fernando High senior, collapsed after a preseason football conditioning practice in 1992 and died two days later from heatstroke. Kiet Le, a Westminster La Quinta High sophomore, collapsed during a junior varsity football game in 1989 and died after undergoing brain surgery.

Times staff writers Jose Cardenas and Beth Shuster contributed to this story.

Head Trauma

Reseda High football player Eric Hoggatt died last month of head trauma with subdural hemorrhaging in his brain, the Los Angeles County coroner’s office announced Friday. The coroner attributed Hoggatt’s death to an accumulation of blows to his head during a game the night before his death.

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Subdural Hemorrhage

A subdural hemorrhage occurs when there is bleeding within the space between two of the meninges- the membrane layers that cover the brain. This type of hemorrhage occurs in the space between the tough dura mater layer and the arachnoid.

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Structure of a Football Helmet

The padding in a typical football helmet consists of foam layers and an inflatable plasticbladder. Air can be pumped into the bladder chambers to provide a customized fit.

* Energy foam of rubber / vinyl compound absorbs energy from shell.

* Inflatable bladder for accommodating variety of head sizes.

* Shell of polycarbonate alloy, high- impact plastic similar to bulletproof material.

Sources: Los Angeles County coroner; American Medical Assn. Encyclopedia of Medicine; Harper Collins Illustrated Medical Dictionary; Encyclopedia of Science and Technology; Ridell Inc.