Braeden Bradforth

The family of a New Jersey teenager who died from exertional heat stroke after a grueling football workout at Garden City Community Community College (GCCC) in 2018 has sued the medical personnel who responded to the emergency call for help.

The lawsuit was filed in late October in Finney County District Court and accuses the ambulance crew, the hospital and the emergency department doctor of medical negligence. All of the defendants, the suit alleges, departed "from prevailing professional standard(s) of care" when treating Bradforth.

Just a few hours short of the second anniversary of his death, the family of a New Jersey teenager settled with Garden City Community College. The settlement ended a long, bitter and exasperating two years for the family of 19-year-old Braeden Bradforth.

"I'm sad every morning when I wake up, I'm grateful every night I lay my head on the pillow," Bradforth's mother Joanne Atkins-Ingram said thinking about her son's memory.

GARDEN CITY, Kansas — It’s been more than a year since 19-year-old Braeden Bradforth died from exertional heat stroke after his first football practice at Garden City Community College.  

A 48-page independent investigation found systemic failures within the athletic department and placed blame on multiple employees as well as medical professionals who treated Bradforth on Aug. 1, 2018.

Bradforth’s parents sent the college letters demanding $50 million dollars, the first step required by Kansas law before they can sue the college. On Tuesday, Garden City Community College’s Board of Trustees unanimously denied the claim amounts, saying the parties were interested in moving forward with mediation.

In a stinging 48-page investigation, the death of a 19-year-old football player last year at Garden City Community College was blamed on "a striking lack of leadership" by top college officials, including former head coach Jeff Sims.

What began as the tragic death of a young football player at Garden City Community College in western Kansas is now a matter for the United States Congress.

The bill filed Friday in the U.S. House would create a commission to prevent "exertional heatstroke deaths among high school and collegiate athletes"— the cause of death for 19-year-old Braeden Bradforth.

Garden City Community College Trustees voted Tuesday to spend $100,000 on an independent investigation into the exertional heatstroke death of a football player last August.

The family and friends of 19-year-old Braeden Bradforth from Neptune, New Jersey, have been calling for an independent probe since the teen died after a conditioning practice.

Garden City Community College has broken its silence and released a summary of an internal investigation into the death of a New Jersey football player after a practice in August 2018.

Braeden Bradforth died of exertional heat stroke, according to an autopsy, two days after arriving in Garden City from his home in Neptune, New Jersey. Former GCCC head coach Jeff Sims initially said the 19-year-old died from a blood clot.