2008-08-01 23:26:03 -
- Lawyers for the family of Ereck Plancher, a 19-year-old University of Central Florida football player, who died March 18 during spring conditioning drills, announced today they plan to pursue a claim against the University and its Board of Trustees in connection with the death. The attorney for the family, J.D. Dowell, gave formal notice of their intentions in a
letter to the University's Board of Trustees.
Ereck Plancher of Naples, died after collapsing during strenuous conditioning drills at the school. Plancher collapsed during the drills and was rushed to an Orlando hospital, where he was pronounced dead. An autopsy revealed that Plancher had the sickle-cell trait and that over-exertion during the workout triggered a reaction that caused his death. According to the autopsy, Plancher died as a result of "dysrhythmia brought on by exertional rhabdomyolysis with sickle-cell trait."
The Notice of Claim alleges that UCF was negligent when they demanded that Plancher and other players took part in an overly strenuous workout and that they ignored signs that Plancher was experiencing exhaustion, dizziness, shortness of breath, and other signs of extreme fatigue. "As a direct and proximate result of University of Central Florida's negligence, Ereck Plancher collapsed and died," the letter said.
The University has admitted that they learned about Plancher's sickle-cell trait during physical exams that Plancher and other football players underwent in January 2007, Dowell said.
"The Plancher family has been frustrated by the fact that they have not been able to get an accurate account of what happened during the conditioning drills on March 18," Dowell said. "They feel very strongly that they do not want any other families to go through what they are going through."
Mr. Dowell is requesting that the University cooperate with the family and disclose the circumstances surrounding Ereck's death, as well as the interviews and findings of the University's internal investigation.
Pitisci, Dowell, Markowitz & Murphy
J.D. Dowell, 813-228-9233
jdowell@pdmmlaw.com 
