The wrongful death trial of former Central Florida Knights football player Ereck Plancher continued on Wednesday with testimony that goes against the claims of the Plancher family. Plancher's death, his family contends, resulted from complications of sickle cell trait, which, depending on various testimonies, the team trainers may not have known about.
Ereck Plancher Trial: Sickle Cell Trait Unlikely To Have Resulted In Death, According To Medical Expert
But on Wednesday, the UCF Athletic Association’s lawyers received testimony from a paid medical expert that complications from sickle cell trait are not known to cause death. Via the Orlando Sentinel:
Dr. Martin H. Steinberg, a Boston University hematologist, testified the suggestion complications from sickle cell trait caused Ereck Plancher’s death was “nuts.”
Steinberg, an expert hired by the UCF Athletics Association, told the jury Wednesday afternoon there are no rigorous medical studies proving sickle cell trait can cause sudden death in athletes.
Later, Steinberg and two other hired medical experts testified that the autopsy report that concluded Plancher died as a result of sickle cell trait symptoms was incorrect. Dr. Azorides R. Morales, one of the other two witnesses, also testified that blockage of the sinus node entry of Plancher’s heart led to a heart attack and eventually death.
Other testimony on Wednesday added to the conflicting reports on the reported absence of water. Jenna Earls was on her first day as an athletic trainer for the football team the day of Plancher’s death and did provide water to players who requested it.
For more updates on the Ereck Plancher trial, keep up with this StoryStream.
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