DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Tailgate Forum Eastern Oregon player dies from effects of concussion

Just saw this in my local paper. Just goes to prove how series a concussion can be. Sounds like they took all the proper precautions too and even then, nothing could be done. Sad, sounded like he was a good kid.



Former Missoula Sentinel standout Dylan Steigers died Sunday from injuries sustained during Eastern Oregon's spring football game Saturday in LaGrande, Ore., a university spokesman said.

Steigers, a 2006 graduate of Sentinel, was listed as a freshman receiver on the Eastern Oregon roster.

Eastern Oregon spokesman Tim Seydel said Steigers, 21, took a blow to the head in the second to last series of the scrimmage. He left the field under his own power and vomited on the sideline, a sign of a concussion.

The school's protocol for a suspected concussion is to call

9-1-1, Seydel said. Steigers was taken to the local hospital, then Life-flighted to Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center in Boise. Medical staff told university officials that he suffered an acute subdural hematoma as a result of contact to the head.

Steigers was on life support at Saint Alphonsus until late Sunday afternoon.

"It's hard to describe the emotions we all feel about losing Dylan," said EOU President Bob Davies. "I sat with Dylan's family during the scrimmage and had the chance to connect with them. Dylan is an exceptional young man who loved to play football, and he had a bright future ahead of him. This is a loss we will feel for a very long time."

EOU football coach Tim Camp has been in touch with Steigers' family and was in Boise until early Sunday morning.

"One of the most difficult situations I think that you could ever be in is when you lose a member of your family," said Camp. "It is a very difficult time for our coaches and our players. We will provide these fine young men with the mentoring and help they need to get through this very difficult situation."

Steigers finished his career at Sentinel in 2006 and caught a touchdown pass in the Shrine Game that summer.

Missoula Sentinel football coach Pete Joseph said he and Steigers had remained close since Steigers was the captain of Joseph's first team at Sentinel.

"We had a heart-to-heart right before he left a month or so ago," Joseph said. "He was really excited about everything. He was totally excited about the opportunity to go play at Eastern Oregon, infatuated with being a dad and taking care of London's mom. He was starting to put things together as far as his future was concerned."

Besides being a talented football player, Steigers was a "real caring individual, almost to a fault," Joseph said.

"He was an exceptional, exceptional football talent. He played the game the way it should be played. He had excellent physical tools, he played the game hard, he played the game fast, and he loved football. He played it the right way."

Steigers is survived by his parents, Tom and Cindy of Missoula, sister Libby, girlfriend Liz Apostol and 2-year-old daughter London.


Missoulian

Really sad... my condolences to the family....

Not to be picky...but he died of a subdural hematoma...which is very different from a concussion.....

he probably also suffered a concussion, and that might have been what was first diagnosed, but he didn't die from the concussions effects.....

A concussion can cause a subdural hematoma. Thus, it could be considered one of the effects of a concussion. It is not all that different as you lead to believe it to be.

A subdural hematoma comes from the result of a blow to the head. I was very lucky once. I suffered a concussion. The forces of the concussion lead to bleeding from swelling which lead to a subdural hemtoma. I was considered a minor case and never required surgery. Just lots of medicine and rest.

So in short, I would say that a subdural hematoma is an effect of a concussion....both of which come from direct blows to the head. Neither of which are considered pre-existing.

In my case, I did not suffer a hematoma with the initial blow. It wasn't until a day later as a result of the swelling, which was of course caused by the concussion. Luckily, it was caught quickly and never escalated to the point of needing emergency surgery. It was classified as a Chronic Subdural Hematoma.