No ambulance present at game when Tipton teen was injured

There was no ambulance present at the football game where a Tipton teen suffered a severe brain injury.

Chad Stover was playing football at Sacred Heart High School in Sedalia when he collapsed with six minutes left in the game.

Coaches and players had to wait several minutes for an ambulance to arrive. No one is sure if Stover’s condition would be any better if medics were on scene when the teen collapsed.

The Tipton R-VI Schools superintendent, Scott Jarvis, said the wait was excruciating.

“When you’re in a situation like that, it feels like hours but it had only been a couple of minutes,” he said.

An ambulance was not required to be present at the game, according to Missouri State High School Activities Association (MSHSAA).

“Ambulances, trainers, and medical personnel are recommendations to have on site, but the only requirement is that schools have an emergency policy put in place,” MSHSAA communications director Jason West said.

West said sometimes it is just not possible to have ambulances present at the games.

“In rural areas, medical personnel are miles away and sometimes an ambulance has to cover many cities or even a whole county,” he said.

Ambulances can also be very expensive to keep at every game. Those factors are why ambulances are only recommended and emergency plans are required.

According to West, Sacred Heart did have an emergency plan in place that was properly executed.

And Jarvis said they did everything they could have.

“What good could come out of this? We’ll make sure an ambulance is at our ball games in the future,” Jarvis said.