Doctors Disagree On Gilpin Diagnosis

((HT: WDRB-Fox41 Louisville))

An expert on heat stroke testified that Max Gilpin's body temperature was more than 109 degrees, when he collapsed last year at PRP football practice.

Douglas Casa's testimony came Thursday in the trial of Gilpin's former football coach, Jason Stinson. Stinson is charged with reckless homicide and wanton endangerment for Gilpin's death from heat stroke.

In court, Casa said his review of the case finds eight to ten other players showed signs of heat stroke that day. Casa said Max could have survived, if coaches had helped him sooner.

Two of Gilpin's doctors disagreed whether he was dehydrated when he arrived at Kosair Children's Hospital. One testified he'd been given about one-third of a liter of fluids in the ambulance.

Doctor Potter said doctors gave Gilpin as much as four liters of fluids at the hospital.

However, in ICU, his condition worsened to the point his organs stopped working, one by one.

Stinson Trial Starts Today In Louisville

Andrew Wolfson of the Louisville Courier-Journal interviewed nine separate legal experts about the trial of former Pleasure Ridge Park High head football coach Jason Stinson ((pictured, thanks Louisville Courier-Journal file)). Collectively, they feel it will be a tough sell to convict Stinson of reckless homicide and wanton endangerment in the death of PRP football player Max Gilpin.

If medical experts can't agree on what killed Gilpin, it will be difficult for the jury to convict Stinson of the charges.

Some of the experts Wolfson interviewed addressed the idea that Stinson ignored an “unjustifiable risk of death” — a required element of reckless homicide. No other student died performing the same activities Gilpin did, so the statistical risk is minimal at best.

Convicting Stinson on the wanton endangerment charge may be even tougher "because it requires proof that he knew about the risks to Max's health and consciously disregarded them."

It's the "Screw Ya'll I'm Coaching The Team My Way" approach... even if I know there's a physical issue with Max Gilpin...

The prosecution will bring in one of the leading authorities on heat illness, UConn's Dr. Doug Casa, to testify about the environment of the practice. The defense seems to be having its case seen through the eyes of fellow coaches and matching experts.

Bennett Haeberle was at a candlelight vigil the night before the Stinson trial starts
((HT: Fox41/WDRB-TV Louisville))


Here's where all the Courier-Journal's materials are on the trial to date...

Second Stinson Indictment Dismissed For Now

The case of the Commonwealth of Kentucky versus former Pleasure Ridge Park ((Louisville)) High School head football coach Jason Stinson ((pictured, thanks Pam Spaulding, Louisville Courier-Journal)) has taken a few interesting turns.

Jason Riley has been working the ups-and-downs for the Louisville Courier-Journal.

There were two charges pending against Stinson. For the time being, that number was cut in half as da judge knocked the wanton endangerment charge off the books.

From Riley:

Judge Susan Schultz Gibson agreed with Stinson's attorneys that prosecutors improperly failed to tell the grand jurors who indicted Stinson that the coach wanted to testify before them.

The Jefferson Commonwealth's Attorney's Office immediately told Gibson that they would seek to re-indict Stinson next week, this time asking jurors if they would like to hear from the former coach.

But prosecutors may have won a bigger battle Friday when Gibson said she would allow testimony that contends that players were denied water and ran more than normal when Stinson's trial on a reckless-homicide charge begins Aug. 31.

Prosecutors disclosed late in the week that they're bringing in Dr. Doug Casa, UConn's Director of Athletic Training Education, as one of their expert witnesses for the case. Casa will maintain that Stinson created an environment at PRP that gave Max Gilpin the impression he couldn't stop running even if his medical condition warranted treatment.

Basically, the notion that pressure from a superior would place Gilpin's job and status in jeopardy within the PRP football program.

Judge Gibson reminded the Commonwealth that they're going to have to prove that Stinson's actions led directly to Gilpin's death.

Chris Turner was in the courtroom, thanks to our friends at Fox 41 in Louisville...
((HT: WDRB-TV/Fox41))


The Courier-Journal's complete coverage is in black... it's required reading for anyone before the trial starts on the 31st.