Wilton Speight Medical Treatment - Yikes


I'm guessing attorneys representing Purdue are on Defcon 1 after this incident. I wouldn't hesitate to sue the University if I were Spaight's parents, particularly if he has long-term damage as a result of the negligence. The treatment he received is abominable and beneath a Big Ten school/athletic department.
 

That is the worst medical treatment i have ever heard of. I would not be surprised to see lawsuits against the Big Ten & Purdue.
 




Good lord. That is pretty bad. Being a father now of a 16-month old little boy, if something like this happened to my son in the future while I was present like Speights parents were, you'd be I'd be fuming mad also.
 

I would hope ALL institutions would consider their preparedness for medical emergencies.

Not good.
 

I don't understand how High School football games decades ago that I attended would seem to have had better response times and seemingly better service.

We always had an ambulance parked at the end of the field. Pretty much any semi serious injury or even seemingly semi serious meant they were taken away in the ambulance...
 

And you wonder why people are steering their kids away from playing football?
 




I wonder if they will sue?
 

Regarding ambulances at games. It's my understanding that you must have an ambulance at a FB game in MN. I was at a game a few years ago. One guy got hurt and taken to hospital by ambulance, so they brought in a 2nd ambulance. Then another player got hurt, and the 2nd ambulance took him in. at that point, they stopped the game until one of the ambulances could return.

So, I could be wrong, but I think you have to have an ambulance at a HS FB game in MN. things have come a long way since I was in HS. (late 60's, early 70's). Back then, guys would get hurt and just sit on the sidelines until the end of the game - unless it was something obvious like a broken leg. One of the few times I remember a player going to the hospital was in '69 or '70. our WR got nailed in the head. at halftime, in the locker room, he had no idea where he was or what was going on, and they hauled him to the hospital in Rochester. Today, no questions asked, he would have been in concussion protocol. Back then, he "got his bell rung." the word concussion was not in our vocabulary. Also, our primary method for treating injuries was cold spray - remember that stuff - came in an aerosol can - you sprayed it on the injured area and basically froze it. stopped the pain, and the player, more often than not, would go back into the game. (until the cold spray wore off......). Or, you "taped it up." Ah, the good old days.
 

Regarding ambulances at games. It's my understanding that you must have an ambulance at a FB game in MN. I was at a game a few years ago. One guy got hurt and taken to hospital by ambulance, so they brought in a 2nd ambulance. Then another player got hurt, and the 2nd ambulance took him in. at that point, they stopped the game until one of the ambulances could return.

So, I could be wrong, but I think you have to have an ambulance at a HS FB game in MN. things have come a long way since I was in HS. (late 60's, early 70's). Back then, guys would get hurt and just sit on the sidelines until the end of the game - unless it was something obvious like a broken leg. One of the few times I remember a player going to the hospital was in '69 or '70. our WR got nailed in the head. at halftime, in the locker room, he had no idea where he was or what was going on, and they hauled him to the hospital in Rochester. Today, no questions asked, he would have been in concussion protocol. Back then, he "got his bell rung." the word concussion was not in our vocabulary. Also, our primary method for treating injuries was cold spray - remember that stuff - came in an aerosol can - you sprayed it on the injured area and basically froze it. stopped the pain, and the player, more often than not, would go back into the game. (until the cold spray wore off......). Or, you "taped it up." Ah, the good old days.

Purdue did have an ambulance at the game. None of the Michigan staff were concerned about a fractured vertebrae, obviously, because they didn't put a collar on him and walked him off the field. They wanted to take him to the hospital for an xray since Purdue didn't have that at the stadium. So they transported him in the van. That's my understanding. Obviously I think there's some things Purdue could have done better, and the hospital experience didn't sound too good, and their facilities suck. But to me, UM failed the player here, and UM is probably trying to head off a lawsuit by pointing fingers.
 




Purdue did have an ambulance at the game. None of the Michigan staff were concerned about a fractured vertebrae, obviously, because they didn't put a collar on him and walked him off the field. They wanted to take him to the hospital for an xray since Purdue didn't have that at the stadium. So they transported him in the van. That's my understanding. Obviously I think there's some things Purdue could have done better, and the hospital experience didn't sound too good, and their facilities suck. But to me, UM failed the player here, and UM is probably trying to head off a lawsuit by pointing fingers.

This. What would they sue Purdue over? There have to be damages to have a a big $ case and sounds like Speight may return soon.

The team docs should have known better and they will likely come under some internal scrutiny. The whole thing sounds like a clown show. U of Mich...
 

Regarding ambulances at games. It's my understanding that you must have an ambulance at a FB game in MN. I was at a game a few years ago. One guy got hurt and taken to hospital by ambulance, so they brought in a 2nd ambulance. Then another player got hurt, and the 2nd ambulance took him in. at that point, they stopped the game until one of the ambulances could return.

So, I could be wrong, but I think you have to have an ambulance at a HS FB game in MN. things have come a long way since I was in HS. (late 60's, early 70's). Back then, guys would get hurt and just sit on the sidelines until the end of the game - unless it was something obvious like a broken leg. One of the few times I remember a player going to the hospital was in '69 or '70. our WR got nailed in the head. at halftime, in the locker room, he had no idea where he was or what was going on, and they hauled him to the hospital in Rochester. Today, no questions asked, he would have been in concussion protocol. Back then, he "got his bell rung." the word concussion was not in our vocabulary. Also, our primary method for treating injuries was cold spray - remember that stuff - came in an aerosol can - you sprayed it on the injured area and basically froze it. stopped the pain, and the player, more often than not, would go back into the game. (until the cold spray wore off......). Or, you "taped it up." Ah, the good old days.
In the early 80's, we were subjected to something called Nitrotan. It was in an aerosol can and when sprayed on it was yellow and fizzy. It stung like the dickens.
Our trainers bag consisted of athletic tape, scissors, salt tablets, smelling salts and Nitrotan.
I'm glad our trainer found a job at Purdue.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G920A using Tapatalk
 


Purdue did have an ambulance at the game. None of the Michigan staff were concerned about a fractured vertebrae, obviously, because they didn't put a collar on him and walked him off the field. They wanted to take him to the hospital for an xray since Purdue didn't have that at the stadium. So they transported him in the van. That's my understanding. Obviously I think there's some things Purdue could have done better, and the hospital experience didn't sound too good, and their facilities suck. But to me, UM failed the player here, and UM is probably trying to head off a lawsuit by pointing fingers.

Purdue definitely deserves some flack for their facilities not being up to snuff but I agree that there is plenty of blame to go around on the Michigan side of things as well. If there was any concern at all about a back injury I can't believe that medically trained people would have him sit upright in a van. Also agree that the only way there is really a lawsuit in any of this is if they can prove the injury was worsened by the lack of facilities or treatment he received. If none of what happened changed his condition then it is an unfortunate series of events but not really anything that should require a law suit.
 

And you wonder why people are steering their kids away from playing football?

This is true.
Doesn't help Purdue, the Big Ten, or worst of all, the whole sport.

To take it a step further, football seems like one of the only ones where it seems as if "gamemanship" of slow medical would apply. Basketball goes to quickly for most players to return after injury. Other sports you get taken out, you can't return after injury, but football with a 3-4 hour time period, I could see where taking the slow trip to get a QB checked might be part of the gamesmanship to not have medical facilities nearby.
 

It is awful what happened to him. This shouldn't have happened.
 

Going to a student health center for Xrays is cheapness.
Not having an ambulance available is inane.
Not having a direct route to a hospital in West Lafyette is dismissive incompetence.
 

This is true.
Doesn't help Purdue, the Big Ten, or worst of all, the whole sport.

To take it a step further, football seems like one of the only ones where it seems as if "gamemanship" of slow medical would apply. Basketball goes to quickly for most players to return after injury. Other sports you get taken out, you can't return after injury, but football with a 3-4 hour time period, I could see where taking the slow trip to get a QB checked might be part of the gamesmanship to not have medical facilities nearby.

Methinks if one is in need of X-rays it's likely the player has a very, very slim chance of returning to the game regardless if the X-ray machine is 50 feet away for 50 miles away.
 

In the early 80's, we were subjected to something called Nitrotan. It was in an aerosol can and when sprayed on it was yellow and fizzy. It stung like the dickens.
Our trainers bag consisted of athletic tape, scissors, salt tablets, smelling salts and Nitrotan.
I'm glad our trainer found a job at Purdue.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G920A using Tapatalk

Classic! I used to hate that stuff.
 

Methinks if one is in need of X-rays it's likely the player has a very, very slim chance of returning to the game regardless if the X-ray machine is 50 feet away for 50 miles away.

I'm thinking like a wrist maybe. You could hurt your wrist or arm and have a small fracture but not know, yet still think about getting back in the game.
 

We had an ambulance get an injured player at a 5th grade game.

At least the dirty Purdue locker room wasn't painted pink
 




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