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POLE VAULTER DIES AFTER FALL : TEEN POLE VAULTER'S DEATH CALLED `A FREAK ACCIDENT'.(News)
Daily News (Los Angeles, CA) | April 30, 1997 | Copyright

Byline: Amy Collins Daily News Staff Writer

A Hart High School pole vaulter died Tuesday night after missing the landing mat during afternoon practice and hitting his head on concrete, school and hospital officials said.

Heath Taylor, 17, of Newhall was pronounced dead at 6:55 p.m. at Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Hospital, said nursing supervisor Rose Morelli. Taylor was the second Southland high school track athlete to die in two weeks.

Hart track coach Larry David said Taylor landed on his back on the foam mat, but that his head hung over the ...

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HIGH SCHOOL MOURNS DEATH OF POLE VAULTER.

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Byline: Mary Schubert Daily News Staff Writer

Classmates
, teammates, teachers and coaches wrestled with their grief Wednesday following the death of pole vaulter Heath Taylor, who suffered head and neck injuries during a Hart High track team practice.

Dozens of teens, many of them hugging and consoling each other, gathered at the pole vault

runway Wednesday morning. Principal Laurence Strauss announced the sad news of the 17-year-old junior's death at the beginning of school. ``We held a moment of silence,'' he said.

The rest of the day, school officials kept reporters and TV cameras off campus. ``We're going to protect the kids' privacy. They're grieving,'' Strauss said. ``It's very somber here. Lots of kids at our crisis center are meeting with counselors.''

Taylor, who turned 17 five weeks ago, had cleared a vault of about 10 feet at practice Tuesday afternoon. As is the norm in pole vaulting, Taylor landed on his back on the pit - but the teen's momentum carried him to the back of the landing pad and he partially fell off the edge, his head slamming on the ground.

Taylor was breathing but unconscious after the fall, and paramedics flew him by helicopter to Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Hospital, where he died more than two hours later.

Strauss said the pole vault landing pad is 3-1/2 feet thick and measures 20 feet by 22 feet. ``We bought it last year,'' he said.

The pit, he added, is set on grass but its back side was next to an old asphalt runway. Strauss wasn't certain, however, what Taylor's head had hit.

The national requirement for pole vault pits is 16 feet by 12 feet, said Dean Crowley, commissioner of athletics for the California Interscholastic




Federation's Southern Section, the Cerritos-based organization that oversees athletics at 503 high schools. ``It exceeded minimum standards,'' he said.

Since the 1993-94 school year, there have been six high school pole vault deaths in the nation. Before Taylor's fatal vault, the most recent death had been one in Illinois this school year, Crowley said.

CIF Southern Section officials will ask Hart High and the Hart school district to forward a report on their investigation into Taylor's death. ``We'll review them to see if there are any recommendations we can make,'' he said.

Initial information, he added, leads him to believe that Taylor's death was a ``tragic accident.'' CIF Southern Section high schools have been competing in the pole vault since 1913, Crowley added, and ``to my knowledge, this is the first fatality'' in that sport.

Taylor's track coaches were unavailable for comment Wednesday. On Tuesday, track coach Larry David described Taylor as a youth who was popular with his teammates and a good leader.

The teen is survived by a mother and younger sister who live in Camarillo, and his father, whom he lived with in Valencia, Strauss said.

An autopsy was expected to be conducted today, said Los Angeles
County Coroner's Office spokesman Scott Carrier. Funeral arrangements are pending.

Strauss said Taylor had played football as a freshman and sophomore, and was in his second year of competition in the pole vault. ``He loved it. He was planning on going to a pole vault camp this summer,'' the principal said.

Taylor's passions also included skateboarding and snowboarding. Pole vaulting, Strauss noted, ``takes a specialized personality. Those guys usually like a challenge.''

The track team, meanwhile, is scheduled to compete today at John Burroughs High School in Burbank, Strauss said.

Taylor's death was the second high school track and field fatality in two weeks. On April 22, Craig Kelford III was hit in the head by a discus during a track meet between North Torrance High School and Palos Verdes Peninsula High School. The 16-year-old Peninsula High boy died the next day at Torrance Memorial Hospital.

Fred Mueller, a physical education professor at the University of North Carolina


, has been keeping records of sports fatalities for more than a decade. From autumn 1982 to spring 1994 - the most recent data available - there were nine high school pole vaulting deaths, said Mueller, founder of the National Center of Catastrophic Sports Injury
Research at the Chapel Hill, N.C., campus.

``They all happened the same way: either bouncing out of the pit on a hard surface, or completely missing the pit and hitting a hard surface with their head or neck,'' Mueller said.

There are an estimated 20,000 high schools in the United States, and Hart - like most high school athletic teams - follows the track and field rules and safety standards published by the Kansas City-based National Federation of State High School Associations.

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TEAM REMEMBERS ACCIDENT VICTIM : ATHLETES WEAR RED FOR HEATH TAYLOR.


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Byline: Mary Schubert Daily News Staff Writer

Touching tributes were made Thursday to the Hart High School
pole vaulter who loved wood shop and was known for wearing red shirts.

Varsity pole vaulter Heath Taylor was on the minds of students and fellow track competitors as they tried to cope with his death Tuesday as he practiced the sport he loved.

At the first competition since Taylor's death, Burroughs High School's track and field team members wore red ribbons

on their jerseys in honor of the youth who died after missing the mat and hitting his head on a concrete runway. Hart teammates wore yellow ribbons on their wrists, and several had the initials ``HT'' written in red ink on their shoulders.

Before the competition began, scores of young athletes and their parents observed a moment of silence in Taylor's memory.

Mike McHorney, Burroughs' pole vault

and discus coach, said he spoke to Hart coach Larry David before the meet.

``I told him I was glad they came today,'' McHorney said. ``He said the vaulters came to him and said `We want to vault.' ''

Several track team members had autographed






Taylor's jersey, which was worn by one of the competitors. And Hart high jumper and pole vaulter Mark Whalen wrote ``In memory of HT'' on his jersey in black ink.

Earlier in the day at Hart, student Heather MacNair said she attended Placerita Junior High and Wiley Canyon Elementary with Heath.

``I've known him since the fourth grade,'' the 16-year-old junior said. She took slight solace in knowing that her classmate's last activity was pole vaulting. ``He loved what he was doing when he died. He had a natural knack for it.''

But the nature of his death didn't take away the sting of his absence, she said. ``He had a wonderful smile. I'm going to miss him,'' McNair said.

The tragedy hit so close to home - Taylor was mortally injured





on campus, landing off-kilter after a routine vault. An autopsy performed Thursday indicated Taylor died as a result of ``head trauma caused by blunt force injury.''

``Death is a part of life, but it's kind of shocking to lose someone at your school,'' said 18-year-old senior Nate Taylor who is not related to Heath Taylor.

Hart High swimmer Hilary Suer, 17, said her teammates understood the grief shared by the track and field teams because 15-year-old swimmer Josh Randell died back in February. Randell, on in-line skates, was hit by a car.

Before a swim meet at College of the Canyons on Wednesday, Hart High and Valencia High swimmers paid a simple tribute to Taylor. ``We made an announcement at the swim meet: `Can we have a moment of silence for Heath,' even though he wasn't a swimmer,'' Suer said.

Taylor's death ``affects the junior class a lot because he was one of us,'' Suer said.

Kevin Urban, 18, said Taylor was in one of his classes last semester




. ``He loved wood shop,'' the senior said.

``I just feel bad for his parents,'' added junior Rachelle Pfiester, 16.

Hart High Principal Laurence Strauss said classmates
will be allowed to go to Taylor's funeral Mass, scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Tuesday at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church
in Newhall. A service will be at 4 p.m. Monday in the chapel at Eternal Valley Memorial Park.

On campus Thursday, many students and staff wore red - which also happens to be a school color - as a tribute to the late teen.

``Heath was apparently into red shirts. He had a favorite one that he wore a lot, so the kids suggested that, as part of their respects to him,'' the principal said. ``There are a lot of students and staff wearing red shirts today, myself included.''

At Burroughs High in Burbank Laine and Dennis Neasi came to watch their son Sean, a sprinter, compete for Hart.

Laine Neasi, who attended Burroughs, said the couple always goes to home meets, but made the trip to Burbank ``for the moral support of the team.''

Sean, the Neasis said, was upset, yet holding his pain inside.

``He didn't want to talk about it at all,'' the father said.

Brian Hurst, assistant principal in charge of activities and athletes at Burroughs, said he talked earlier in the day with Hart officials. Students there, he said, wanted to pay tribute and plan to contribute to a fund set up in Taylor's name to either help his family financially or set up a scholarship.

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PARENTS SUE OVER STUDENT'S DEATH; COUPLE CLAIMS SCHOOL TRACK LED TO ACCIDENT.

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Byline: Mary Schubert Daily News Staff Writer

The Hart High School
field where pole vaulter Heath Taylor was mortally injured last year wasn't suitably protected with padding, creating a dangerous condition, a lawsuit against the school district alleges.

It has been a year since the 17-year-old athlete died after completing a vault during track team practice. The boy's parents, Gail and Carl Taylor
, filed a civil suit in December against the William S. Hart Union High School District, contending wrongful death

, negligent supervision and dangerous condition of public property.

Six months after Taylor died on April 29, 1997, his parents filed a claim against the school district. That claim, submitted to the district Oct. 14, was rejected, prompting the Taylors to seek remedy in the civil courts.

``The property was in a dangerous condition that created a substantial risk of injury,'' the plaintiffs said in the complaint, filed Dec. 9 in North Valley Superior Court. ``Heath Taylor was killed as a direct and legal result of the dangerous and defective condition of the premises.''

The suit makes direct mention of the ``exposed asphalt runway'' on which Taylor hit his head after landing on the pole vault

mat and then sliding headfirst off the back edge.

``The William S. Hart Union High School District failed to ensure that the exposed asphalt upon which (Taylor) struck his head was padded or cushioned in accordance with recognized rules and standards,'' the suit said.

``The defendants . . . should have known of (the) dangerous condition a sufficient time prior to the time of the accident . . . so as to have taken measures to protect against (the) dangerous condition.''

The Taylors seek general damages of an unspecified dollar amount, along with reimbursement of funeral expenses and medical bills their son incurred.

Under the negligent supervision portion of the lawsuit, the plaintiffs single out - not by name, but by job title - the Hart High track coach and the pole vault coach.

High school boys use poles ranging from 11 feet to 14 feet long in the pole vault, according to Skip Stolley, director of coaching programs for the Amateur Athletic Foundation in Los Angeles.

Vaulters are assigned poles based on their height, weight, age and skill level in the event, Stolley said. Taylor, who was 5 feet 6 inches tall and weighed 135 pounds, was on the Hart High varsity squad, competing in the pole vault for his second season.

Information about the size and weight rating of the pole he used was unavailable.

Lawrence Grassini, the attorney representing Gail and Carl Taylor, said the school district was directed to take the pole out of use and preserve it as evidence to be offered at trial.

``I represent two parents who lost their child during a track practice. Only someone who has lost a child can understand that loss,'' Grassini said. ``That's something you never get over.''

Grassini said the Taylor family filed suit, in part, to prevent future fatal pole vaulting accidents.

``One of the things that they're hoping to do is to put Hart and other school districts on notice of the requirements that a school district has to provide safe facilities for these students,'' Grassini said.

``They don't ever want someone to go through what they've gone through. In memory of Heath, they want Hart and other school districts to take a look at the manner in which they handle pole vaulting at their schools

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REPORT WRITTEN ON FATAL VAULT.

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Byline: Mary Schubert Daily News Staff Writer

A month after pole-vaulter Heath Taylor died from an injury suffered during track practice, the school district has finished one report about the fatal accident and is compiling another more detailed version.

Taylor, 17, a Hart High School
junior, died April 29. He had cleared a 10-foot, 6-inch practice vault and landed on the back of the pole vault

pit - but then fell off the edge and slammed his head on the ground.

Hart's pole vault pit is 3-1/2 feet thick and measures 20 feet by 22 feet - exceeding the national requirement of 16 feet by 12 feet. Although the pit was set on grass, its back side lay perpendicular to an asphalt runway.

Taylor's parents and the William S. Hart Union High School District were given copies of the one-page report about the teen's death, but the document doesn't go into extensive detail or description, said Gary Gibeaut, the district's legal counsel.

``It just contains names of witnesses to the accident, some biographical information regarding Heath and a brief description of how the accident occurred,'' Gibeaut said.

``That's all the school is required to submit, but that doesn't mean the school's investigation into the accident will stop,'' the Los Angeles attorney said. ``That will continue under my direction.''

Since the fatal vault, the pole and the pit have been in storage pending the results of the investigation. ``The equipment hasn't been used since the accident,'' Gibeaut said. ``It's not being held as evidence because there's no litigation

- civil or criminal - being planned at this time,'' he added.

Carl Warren & Co., the Orange-based firm that administers Hart district insurance claims, is investigating the accident along with Gibeaut's law firm.

The California Interscholastic Federation hasn't been furnished a copy of the one-page document, and Gibeaut didn't know whether the CIF Southern Section - the Cerritos-based organization that oversees athletics at 503 high schools - would receive a copy of the next report.

``There's no requirement that we submit a written report to the CIF regarding the accident,'' Gibeaut noted.

Last weekend, pole-vaulters from a San Luis Obispo County high school wore helmets during the CIF Southern Section division finals at Cerritos College, said Hal Harkness, assistant meet director.

Three girls and one boy from Atascadero High School

wore helmets designed for in-line skaters and skateboarders while they competed in the pole vault at the CIF meet, Harkness said.

``I'm certain that the manufacturer has not certified it for use in pole vaulting. Although it may offer some protection, that's not what it was designed for,'' Harkness said.

The CIF's Health and Safety Action Team would like information about Taylor's deadly vault - and details about another accident that killed a discus thrower from Palos Verdes' Peninsula High School

- when it meets next month, said Dean Crowley, commissioner of athletics for the CIF Southern Section. The seven-member panel is composed of school administrators from across California.

The Athletic Injuries Committee of the CIF Southern Section also would like to read Hart High's accounting of events leading up to Taylor's death, Crowley said.

The goal of both panels is to find ways of preventing future pole vaulting tragedies. ``We need to look at some situations that would make it safer for kids,'' Crowley said. ``Maybe some spotters would be appropriate'' for the pole vault, the commissioner added.

The Southern Section also is considering publishing bulletins to athletic directors and track coaches with safety tips and guidelines. One idea is to furnish track coaches with an air horn that could be sounded to alert competitors and bystanders when a discus is about to be thrown, Crowley said.

``We want to do as much as we can to make (high school athletics) a safe environment,'' Crowley added.

Hart's pole vault area had runways in front of and behind the pit. The reason for the dual runways was to allow practices and competitions to be held from either approach if conditions are windy.

The landing pit could be placed at the end of either runway because each has its own hole where a vaulter can plant his pole during a jump.

Jan Johnson, who helps train pole-vaulters on the Atascadero High School team, said the teens wear skating helmets that cover more than bicycle helmets - thereby protecting the sides and back of the head. ``Injuries in pole vaulting are from contusions to the side or the back of the cranium,'' he explained.

Although Johnson, national pole vault safety chairman for U.S.A. Track and Field, said he has been recommending helmets for a few years, the Atascadero teens donned the headgear



after hearing of Taylor's death. ``That was the straw that broke the camel's back
,'' he said.

``They had a hard surface behind the pit that was exposed, and (Taylor) hit his head on it,'' Johnson said.