UC San Diego athlete dies after training accident
A pole vaulter at UC San Diego has died from an apparent head injury sustained during a training accident.
Leon Roach, 19, a sophomore from Huntington Beach, died Saturday night at Scripps Memorial Hospital in La Jolla. He had been brought to the hospital in critical condition Thursday.
Roach had missed the padding after making a jump and landed on concrete, striking his head, according to the San Diego County medical examiner's office. He was immediately unresponsive. On Saturday, medical personnel at Scripps declared him brain-dead.
In March, Roach placed fourth in the San Diego Collegiate Track and Field Championship, the only freshman in the top eight. At Marina High School in Huntington Beach, Roach once vaulted 15 feet 4 inches.
An autopsy is planned.
-- Tony Perry in San Diego
this accident is really, really sad. I will have his family in my prayers.
Posted by: meghann | September 06, 2009 at 04:51 PM
This is a sad story. This happens alot more often than people think. A bigger mat area needs to be adopted by the track and field community. The pole vault discipline needs to be engineered so as to avoid a tragic event like this from happening again. I would demand that the landing area is configured in a way to safely handle mistakes that occur in practice or competition Make a bigger and safer landing area.
Posted by: ty walker | September 06, 2009 at 05:04 PM
RIP Leon. One vaulter to another.
Posted by: LoveToVault | September 06, 2009 at 06:43 PM
Sorry about what happened.
What a sad story, my condolences to his family and loved ones
Posted by: Roxanne | September 07, 2009 at 03:01 AM