Hoggatt’s Death Helps Spark Safety Studies

As their lawsuit against the L.A. Unified School District inches its way toward resolution, the family of Eric Hoggatt takes comfort in knowing that steps have been taken to reduce football-related head injuries.

Hoggatt, a Reseda High senior running back, died in his sleep last September the morning after he complained of dizziness and numbness during a game against Chatsworth. Hoggatt was benched by a team physician late in the game, but the player’s family was never told of his symptoms.

The death of Hoggatt and of Adrian Taufaasau of Coronado High provoked national concern about brain injuries among young athletes and sparked several studies on the subject.

In articles published Wednesday in the journal of the American Academy of Neurology, researchers concluded that coaches should take seriously even mild concussions and learn to administer sideline tests to immediately determine the extent of brain injury.

“It’s good to know they are following up,” said Verna Hoggatt, Eric’s mother. “Eric is on my mind daily, especially when I’m by myself. The pain can’t be described.”

When necessary precautions aren’t taken, the results can be devastating. Had they been informed of Eric’s symptoms following the game, the Hoggatts believe he would be alive today.

The family has filed suit against the school district, the board of trustees, Reseda High and the team’s coaches, and Dr. Michael Hollander--Reseda’s team physician.

“The Hoggatts are seeking wrongful death benefits and emotional distress compensation,” said Bonnie Fine, the Hoggatts’ attorney. “The suit is proceeding, but more important is these new guidelines.”

Dr. Jay H. Rosenberg, a San Diego neurologist who coauthored the study published Wednesday, conducted a seminar on head injuries last week at a Warner Center hotel. Several of Hoggatt’s family members and friends attended.

Tameka Hoggatt, 23, a Santa Monica City College student, is launching a foundation in her brother’s name to raise money to pay for a “safety coach” at high school games. The coach would be outside the team’s regular staff, theoretically making him less interested in winning and more responsive to injuries.

“Jay Rosenberg has been working with the foundation we are trying to form,” Fine said. “The idea is that athletes would be more inclined to talk about injuries to someone more detached from the regular coaching staff.”

Meanwhile, the City Section has begun developing its own programs to reduce injuries.

Two partnerships have been formed between L.A. Unified high schools and medical groups to provide both professional and student trainers to athletic teams. The Centinela Medical Group supplies athletic trainers to Dorsey and Crenshaw highs, and the Daniel Freeman Orthopedic Group in Inglewood is working with student trainers at several City Section and Southern Section schools.

“We are trying to expand these programs and pinpoint those who will work with us, particularly hospitals willing to develop programs,” said Barbara Fiege, City Section athletics commissioner. “High school athletics is far more intense than it used to be in terms of the opportunity for injury. Kids are bigger, stronger and faster.”

Fiege said Dr. Clarence Shields of the Centinela Medical Group will hold seminars for coaches on injury prevention and treatment.

“We’ve been doing a lot of talking and meeting the last four to five months,” Fiege said. “We obviously need to put more time and interest in this area.”

Greater attention is being focused on head injuries.

“They are so much more deadly than orthopedic injuries,” Fine said. “Medical personnel at football games should be trained in recognizing and treating head injuries.”

As the Hoggatts learned, not doing so can be fatal.

“When I’m alone, I’ll be thinking he’s still alive,” Verna Hoggatt said. “Then I realize it’s just a dream.”