Football - Korey Stringer’s Widow To Proceed With L

Korey Stringer’s widow has been given the go ahead signal to proceed with a negligence lawsuit against the NFL and equipment maker Riddell Inc over her husband’s heatstroke death. This was ruled by a federal judge.

In 2001, Kelci Stringer sued the NFL and Riddell after her husband died, for not ensuring that equipment used by players protected them from injuries and deaths caused by heat related illness.

Korey Stringer was a lineman with Minnesota Vikings and he died of a heatstroke while he was practicing in scorching heat and humidity which raised his body temperature to 108.8 degrees. At that time Stringer was 27 years old.

In the same hearing, the Judge John Holschuh dismissed another lawsuit in which Kelci Stringer claimed that NFL did not have appropriate guidelines for practicing in the heat and nor did they give information to coaches and trainers on how to recognize, treat and avert heat related illnesses.

Kelci Stringer’s attorney had argued that Riddell’s helmets and shoulder pad prevented evaporation and dissipation of heat which the judge agreed on and allowed Kelci Stringer to take her case in front a jury who will be given the task to decide whether NFL and its subsidiary, NFL Properties, actually approved equipment that did not protect NFL players from injuries which include heat related illnesses.

Originally Kelci Stringer sued the Viking for not giving her husband proper medical care after his collapse. However, in November 2005, Minnesota Supreme Court stopped her from pursuing the lawsuit against the team and several of its employees. The same district judge who dismissed the lawsuit against the team, however, allowed Kelci Stringer to pursue a malpractice suit against the hospital and doctor where Stringer was taken after collapsing. In May 2003, Kelci Stringer settled out court.