David and Joanie Autin allege their son, Eraste, received improper care.
By ANTONYA ENGLISH
Published August 14, 2003
GAINESVILLE - More than two years after their 18-year-old son collapsed and died after a workout, the parents of Florida football player Eraste Autin have filed a wrongful-death suit against a hospital, Shands at the University of Florida at Gainesville, the UF board of trustees and the University Athletic Association, which runs the athletic department.
David and Joanie Autin seek an unspecified amount in the medical negligence suit that alleges their son received improper care, which led to his death. The suit contends those who cared for Autin failed to prevent, detect or treat the heat-related injuries he sustained.
"I definitely think the hospital was very negligent in causing the death of my son," David Autin said Wednesday from his home in Lafayette, La.
The Autins seek a jury trial.
Eraste Autin was a 6-foot-2, 255-pound fullback during the summer of 2001 when he started preseason drills for freshmen.
On July 19, with the temperature in Gainesville 88 degrees, humidity about 72 percent and a heat index of 102 degrees, Autin collapsed outside Ben Hill Griffin Stadium as he and teammates jogged nearly 300 yards from the practice field to the stadium after a 50-minute conditioning session.
According to the medical examiner's report, his temperature upon arrival at the emergency room was 108 degrees. He sustained multisystem organ failure, the report said.
Autin died July 25, leaving behind his parents, two sisters and a twin brother. At the request of David Autin, also a physician, an autopsy was not performed.
But several times since his death, the Autins have suggested they would seek legal action. They have said their son showed marked improvement after arriving at the hospital but later had a setback due to medical negligence.
In the civil suit filed in Alachua County court, the Autins contend Shands and its agents and employees were negligent, failed to properly medically manage Eraste Autin's care and failed "to provide treatment by sufficiently trained and informed medical personnel."
The family is represented by Virginia Buchanan, who did not return calls Wednesday.
The Autins have filed paperwork to collect on a $10,000 one-time death benefit under an insurance policy Florida carries through the NCAA.
But David Autin has said the lawsuit is not about money. Wednesday, his wife reiterated that.
"We know what happened," Joanie Autin said. "They were negligent, and that's all I want to say."
The University Athletic Association issued a statement Wednesday: "Given the close relationship we have had with Eraste's family and now that the matter is in litigation, we do not believe it is appropriate to make any comment about the lawsuit beyond stating that all those involved with Eraste's training and care were conscientious and consistently place the well-being of our student-athletes as our top priority. Our thoughts and prayers continue to be with the Autin family."
