Former McDowell linebacker Johnny Heubel is suing over concussion. How the case started.

Ed Palattella, Erie Times-News
·2 min read

Johnny Heubel's collapse on the sidelines of a football field shocked Erie and changed his life.

The incident has also led to a lawsuit.

Heubel was a star senior linebacker for McDowell High School. He took himself out of the game and walked to the sidelines of Gus Anderson Field during the second half of the Trojans' home game against archrival Cathedral Preparatory School in Millcreek Township on Sept. 15, 2020.

Johnny Heubel at McDowell High School's Gus Anderson Field in Millcreek Township on July 14, 2020. Heubel was getting ready for his senior season on the McDowell football team.
Johnny Heubel at McDowell High School's Gus Anderson Field in Millcreek Township on July 14, 2020. Heubel was getting ready for his senior season on the McDowell football team.

Heubel, then 17, fell to the ground. He was rushed to UPMC Hamot and then flown by medical helicopter to UPMC hospitals in Pittsburgh, where he underwent surgery and other procedures for a traumatic brain injury.

Heubel is now 19 and living with his family in Florida. He is unable to care for himself.

What happened to Heubel at the football game and whether anyone is to blame for his condition are the subjects of a lawsuit that Heubel and his mother and legal guardian, Megan Beasley, filed in Erie County Common Pleas Court.

Heubel and his mother are suing over claims of professional negligence. They contend that the athletic training staff under contract with the Millcreek School District failed to properly diagnose and treat a concussion that Heubel suffered weeks before the game against Prep.

The suit claims Heubel was the victim of second impact syndrome and suffered a second concussion on the field before he had recovered from his previous concussion. Heubel suffered a traumatic brain injury as a result, according to the suit.

Heubel and his mother are suing the Pittsburgh-based Allegheny Health Network and Saint Vincent Medical Group, affiliated with AHN's Saint Vincent Hospital in Erie. The defendants said they did nothing wrong, according to court records.

Heubel and his mother are seeking $22.5 million in damages, according to court records. The amount includes $19.8 million to cover lifetime medical costs.

A trial is tentatively scheduled for October.

Find full details of the lawsuit in an in-depth report at Ex-McDowell linebacker Heubel seeks $22.5 million in concussion suit

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Contact Ed Palattella at epalattella@timesnews.com. Follow him on Twitter @ETNpalattella.

This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Former McDowell linebacker Heubel is suing over concussion. Here's why