Severe Blood Clot May Leave Boxer Permanently Disabled

Posted on October 17, 2014 by Shapiro Law Group

The family of an injured boxer is planning to sue the boxing commission and the ring doctors that supervised his fight, saying they allowed the fight to go on too long and failed to get him proper medical attention once the fight was over.

The night of the boxing match, the fighter lost a 10-round fight, enduring more than 300 punches to his head, arms and torso. When he returned to the dressing room, the boxer seemed weak and disoriented, and he kept complaining that his head hurt.

There were two ambulances on site for the fight, but neither was called to help him. Instead, doctors working for the athletic commission asked him to read numbers off a card. He made several mistakes, but performed well enough. One doctor noticed blood in his urine, but said they would get a full workup once they got home to Florida.

His brother, who was there at the time, said his brother needed help getting dressed and leaving the locker room. He kept saying, “I’m going to pass out, I’m going to pass out.” Concerned for his safety, the boxer’s brother took him to the emergency room in a taxi.

The hospital discovered a massive blood clot and bleeding in the brain, which required emergency surgery. After the operation, it became clear that the fighter suffered serious damage. He can move slightly and follow simple commands, but other than that, he remains bedridden. Doctors say he may never walk or talk again.

The family is filing a lawsuit against “multiple parties,” which will probably include the boxing commission, the ring doctors and the doctors from the athletic commission. They say that boxing officials allowed the man to be “unreasonably and violently beaten” and states that “improper, untimely and inadequate medical care and treatment” contributed to his condition.

The boxing commission is blaming the ring doctors, saying they never indicated that the fight should end. “No one in the medical field over there that night gave me any indication that I should stop this fight,” one official said.

Boxing matches are supposed to be violent, but no one is supposed to die. Ring doctors are trusted to make the call if someone’s health is in danger. Fighters are tough, but 300 punches is excessive, and it is the ring doctors’ job to step in and prevent permanent injury.

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Source: http://abcnews.go.com/Sports/injured-boxers-family-plans-lawsuit/story?id=25484513&page=3

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