Teammates of NY Teen Killed by 400-Pound Log During School Football Drill to File Notice of Claim

The teammates of a 16-year-old New York boy who died when a 400-pound log fell on his head during a preseason high school football drill on Long Island last year will announce Wednesday that they are filing a notice of claim, saying school officials have abandoned the team and players still in need of therapy and services. 

Attorney for the players, Kenneth Mollins, plans to hold a press conference at 10:30 a.m. with the teammates of Joshua Mileto. Mollins claims they were emotionally affected by Mileto’s sudden death.

Mileto was carrying the 400-pound log with four other players on the East Sachem High School football team when it somehow fell and killed him, police said. Detectives preliminary deemed the death to be accidental.

The Aug. 10 tragedy led to the removal of the high school’s head football coach and an assistant. 

The Mileto family filed a $15 million lawsuit last year, citing negligence by the Sachem Central School District and Sachem East Touchdown Club Inc.

“There was no thought or consideration as to what could, and unfortunately did, happen if the boys lost control of the log or it was dropped for any reason,” Jay Dankner, the attorney representing Mileto’s family, said.

“The recreational and sports training experts we have contacted have unanimously said that it was negligence on the part of the school and football team to have allowed these boys to run this drill and even more reckless to not have supervised or controlled it in any way.”

Dankner said while some members of the coaching staff may have been nearby, he contended the players did not receive specific training or supervision on how to perform the drill. Mileto, a wide receiver, was 5-foot-6, 134 pounds.

Following the accident, an expert at the University of Connecticut questioned the wisdom of having teenagers perform an exercise that involves carrying a heavy object and that he said was developed for Navy SEALs.

“There’s so much potential for things to go wrong that I would really want people to think twice before doing something like that,” said Douglas Casa, executive director of the Korey Stringer Institute, which works to improve safety for athletes.

Dankner said the family will be seeking $7.5 million for the boy’s pain and suffering and $7.5 million for his death.