Tragic high school athlete death not uncommon

Doctors say while tragic, Friday night’s on-field death of a Garden Grove high school football player does not appear to point to a trend. KPCC’s Adolfo Guzman-Lopez has the story.

Adolfo Guzman-Lopez: Seventeen-year-old Kevin Telles, a linebacker and fullback for Garden Grove High, collapsed on the field minutes before the end of his team’s game with Westminster High. A physician on the field tried to revive the 6'2" 200-pound Telles, even using a portable defibrillator. Those efforts failed.

Doctor Richard Pitt, of the Orange County Medical Association, says he studied similar incidents in the area about a year ago after what seemed like a rash of student athlete deaths.

Richard Pitt: When you look at the actual numbers compared to how many people are actually participating in sports, it’s actually a very small number. But again, it happens in an environment where it’s schools. Kids aren’t supposed to die at that age. They’re in the peak of fitness and how could this possibly happen?

Guzman-Lopez: Dr. Pitt says student athlete deaths are usually related to heat exhaustion or to pre-existing heart problems. He says the coroner’s final autopsy report is the most important piece of information in the death of high school senior Kevin Telles. Completing that report could take a few weeks.