$9 Million Settlement for Family of Teen Who Died of Heat Stroke During Football Practice

On the afternoon of September 28, 2020, Patriot High School's varsity football team ran its first practice of the season in 104-degree heat outside Jurupa Valley. The field offered no shade and no cold drinking water. Coaches put players through conditioning drills, including sprint sequences known as 'suicides,' in conditions that California health authorities classify as dangerous for outdoor athletic activity.

Cristian Angel Navarro, 15, collapsed at the end of practice. He told coaches he was tired and could not stand on his own. The adults present did not check his vital signs, call for emergency medical assistance, move him into shade, or attempt to cool him down. When Cristian's mother arrived, she called 911 herself. He was transported to a hospital, where he died on October 1, three days after the practice.

An autopsy confirmed exertional heat stroke as the cause of death. The family's attorneys at Adamson Ahdoot LLP filed a wrongful-death complaint in Riverside Superior Court against Jurupa Unified School District, head coach and athletic director Christopher Fowler, and other school employees. The lawsuit alleged that the district and its coaches failed to implement basic heat-illness prevention protocols, ignored visible signs of medical distress, and made no effort to provide emergency care once Cristian's condition became apparent.

During litigation, coaches claimed that COVID-19 protocols in place at the time prohibited them from providing water to players. Jurupa Unified School District denied that any such prohibition existed under its COVID policies.

The case settled for $9 million in April 2022, reported by LA Taco. No reduction or reversal on appeal has been reported.