Navy QB In A Coma
Posted on November 26, 2012 Written By: iadminlaw
Thanksgiving is a day for families to gather around a gigantic feast and be thankful for all the blessings in their lives. Unfortunately, Thanksgiving is also one of the most dangerous days to drive. This year is no exception.
As the Navy football team returned to the practice field in preparation for its game against rival Army on December 8, Coach Ken Niumatalolo and his players were thinking about one of their own fighting for his life in a Miami hospital after being seriously injured in a Thanksgiving night car accident.
Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Gateway Cinema. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Ralph Montalvo, a freshman who recently had made it from the scout team to the travel roster as the third-string quarterback, is listed in critical condition after being placed in a medically-induced coma at the Kendall Regional Medical Center, according to a spokesman for the hospital. Niumatalolo, who visited with Montalvo’s family Saturday, said the player had a setback Monday.
Dr. Jeff Fair, Navy’s director of sports medicine, said doctors at the academy who have been in touch with the medical staff attending to Montalvo were told that an infection had caused an increase in the player’s blood pressure.
A spokesman for the Pinewood Florida Police Department said Monday that the investigation into the accident was ongoing and could not comment about it. According to Florida law, a police report is not made public for the first 60 days after an incident occurs.
Niumatalolo said he has been told by family members that Montalvo and a friend went to get something to eat after his flight home Thursday was delayed. The friend, who was driving, turned one street too soon, thinking he was on a main thoroughfare. Instead, he drove his car into a house at the end of a dark, fog-shrouded street. Niumatalolo said he heard Montalvo’s friend was also in the hospital in a coma.
Junior nose guard Travis Bridges, who played against Montalvo in high school, learned of the accident in a text from one of Navy’s assistant coaches and went to the hospital from his home in Hollywood, Florida on Friday.
Sophomore slotback Ryan Williams-Jenkins, who was in Fort Lauderdale for the break visiting his father, said that several members of the team held a prayer vigil for Montalvo when they returned to the academy Sunday.
The uniform Montalvo would have worn for the Army game in Philadelphia has been sent to the player’s family.
If you or a loved one were the victim of a car accident that was caused by negligence or some other form of reckless behavior, it is important that you contact a committed and dedicated personal injury lawyer to help you decide if you should file a lawsuit. A competent and reputable injury lawyer can help you receive the compensation you deserve for your pain and suffering.
