Official collapses during Navy - Georgetown

[EdT]

After the end of the first period of the Navy - Georgetown game, referee Scott Boyle collapsed and was taken by ambulance to the hospital. The game was then suspended. No details on Mr. Boyle's condition were given. My prayers go out to his family.

[SDS416]

It is believed that he suffered a heart attack. CPR was administered and the defib unit was used. He was removed from the field in an ambulance.

[CoachRob]

I know this was discussed in an earlier thread. Defibs are not at every lax field. I am a licensed physician, and even I could not save a player in ventricular fibrillation without a one present. Due to the cost, I don't know what stance NFHS and NCAA should take on this very important issue. Sudden death, while rare, is devastating and is at increased likelihood in any sport with a fast moving small projectile that can strike a player (or ref) in the chest. Lax, baseball, and hockey come instantly to mind.

Superb conditioning is also critical to the health and welfare of all participants in lacrosse, truly the fastest game on two feet.

We can only hope Mr. Boyle has a full recovery.

[HdGLaxWarrior]

He had a heart attack. Nothing was struck. And it's Navy, and they have medics all over the place there. So a defib was a must.

[LaxRef]

Due to the cost, I don't know what stance NFHS and NCAA should take on this very important issue.

What I'd hate to see is for, say, legislators to step in and say that every sporting event has to have an AED unit on hand. In Minnesota a few years ago, someone fell off of some bleachers and died. This was no doubt a horrible occurrence for the family, friends, school, and community involved. However, afterwards the legislature jumped in and mandated that everyone get a newer type of safer bleachers.

This type of thing is ridiculous. Most schools are having trouble with their athletics budgets already, and this sort of attempt to reduce a small risk even further is too small to justitfy the extreme expense involved; it's not like hundreds of kids were falling off bleachers every season. It is patently impossible to legislate risk out of anything, and the smaller you try to make the risk the more expensive each reduction in risk becomes. Either that, or you end up eliminating the activity altogether.

No one wants to see anyone get hurt, but there is necessarily a point where you back off and say "we're doing everything we can reasonably afford and the activity is reasonably safe." On the subject of AEDs I think they're cheap enough that schools should--on their own--start trying to buy them and train people to use them, but I think an NCAA or NFHS mandate at this point would be premature.

[Goalieman5]

"likelihood in any sport with a fast moving small projectile that can strike a player (or ref) in the chest. Lax, baseball, and hockey come instantly to mind."

did he get hit with the ball

[SDS416]

Sadly as noted in another thread and on IL.com, Mr. Boyle died of an apparent heart attack.

[HdGLaxWarrior]

"likelihood in any sport with a fast moving small projectile that can strike a player (or ref) in the chest. Lax, baseball, and hockey come instantly to mind."

did he get hit with the ball

No. It was a heart attack/cardiac arrest.

[eme]

Scotty Boyle was a legendary official. Worked all levels from Div. 1 Championship game to World Games Final Championship game. And all hs, club, and youth games as well. What a tragedy.

[Laxref_36]

eme,

Please pass on to his family the thoughts and prayers of all the folks who wear the stripes.

Laxref_36