East Texas doctor explains possible causes of student-athlete death

TYLER – Dr. Robert French with UT Health East Texas Orthopedic gave his thoughts on potential causes behind student-athlete deaths during sports activities, in an interview with our news parter KETK.

The University Scholastic League (UIL) is still investigating the death of a student athlete at Marshall ISD. Questions are stirring about how Estefani Cabrera died after cross-country practice on a hot day in August.

“Risk factors for these really unfortunate circumstances can be a multitude,” Dr. French said.

Estefani turned 15 years old just a few days before her death on Aug 19. The UIL is investigating after she suffered a medical emergency following practice.

“A lot of times you will see those external symptoms, the dizziness, the confusion, the fainting, obviously, before you can tell if anything’s happening inside,” French said.

She was not the first Texas student athlete to die in August. Lancaster ISD lost a football player who suffered a heatstroke during his practice.

“The best way to avoid these catastrophic issues is to get them cool on the sideline. Even before you call 911, you want them cooled and you want the temperature to start going down even before you start transport to the next hospital or to wherever they are getting definitive care,” French said.

In 2023, UIL required teams to use the wet bulb globe temperature to monitor conditions and determine if practice is safe.

“It measures the heat that is outside, it also takes the humidity that is outside and then it also takes the temperature directly with the sun radiation and kind of adds all that together to get this happy temperature of what it really is and what it feels like and where it’s safe for them to be outside,” Bullard ISD Athletic Director, Vanessa Dockter said.

Temperatures were forecasted at 97 degrees, the day Estefani died, and an autopsy has been ordered to determine her exact cause of death. French said that in any student-athlete death, many factors can come into play.

“Even if it’s not that hot outside, they could have been sick a week ago, had a fever. All of a sudden, their internal thermostats were running a little bit higher than maybe it would if they hadn’t been recently sick,” French said.

The best advice to parents, coaches and trainers is to keep a close eye on their student’s symptoms. Most importantly, a reminder to students to listen to their bodies.