Dr. Douglas Casa, athletic trainer and expert at the University of Connecticut, said after interviewing the athletes and coaches, he learned that Ereck Plancher was mistreated by the staff employed at University of Central Florida's Athletic Association.
"Ereck Plancher was not cared for properly, he was not cared for quickly enough," Dr. Casa told the jury at the Plancher v. UCFAA trial Friday.
Ereck Plancher's parents, Gisele and Enock Plancher, filed a lawsuit against the school's association for negligence, a year after his March 18, 2008 death, when he collapsed at the Nicholson Fieldhouse during a football practice, which now doctors are stating Ereck Plancher was a victim of the medical condition, sickle cell trait.
Casa claims Ereck Plancher was never notified of his illness, which he describes as "unreasonable."
"If someone was tested, the athlete deserves to know the results of their tests," said Casa. "I would fully expect that person, the athlete in this case, to be informed of the status, whether it should be positive or negative."
He said the only person with any knowledge of the 19-year-old's condition was the coach, George O'Leary, but that he even was not aware of what it actually was. "I was never under the impression of any coaches aware of the symptoms associated with sickle cell," said Casa, adding O'Leary only new of one symptom, which was fatigue. Casa said he believed the coaches grew some basic knowledge two years later during their depositions.
The doctor told the people of the court that there were some underlying issues at the UCFAA, including the fact that the organization was extremely understaffed at the time, with only six full-time athletic trainers for a total of 15 varsity sports and approximately 400 to 500 athletes.
"You could ratio athlete vs. athletic trainer, but it's certainly well below the standard that you would see at the division ... in terms of appropriate medical staff," Dr. Casa said.
Casa said no one knows for sure how many players were at the Fieldhouse that day, but he said because of that time of the years, he guesstimated approximately 80.
Another issue he references is the daily rotation of supervisors among the staff does not comply with policy and procedures. He explains having two primary bosses causes conflict because, "They might implement those policies and procedures very differently ... Especially in light of the fact that you didn't have a team physician. That just creates chaos." He adds that because these issues, it is evident that UCFAA did not design the sports medical program in the proper way.
The trial is expected to last two to three weeks.
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