An amateur “fight night” boxing event led to a tragic death that’s being called a homicide on a college campus.
Nathan Valencia, a 20-year-old University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV) student, succumbed to injuries and passed away after participating in a Kappa Sigma frat house run fight night.
NBC News reports, The Clark County coroner confirmed Tuesday that the cause of death was blunt force trauma to the head and classified the death as a homicide, but no criminal charges are being pursued. However, potential civil consequences are still at play.
Amateur “fight night” boxing event leads to the death of UNLV student
The Hill also reported on the story and noted that the amateur fight cards were not a first for the campus, and that individual officiation the event was caught on camera intoxicated. Two attorneys representing the Valencia family said in a statement Tuesday that there were no medical personnel at the event and students have had to go to the hospital in the past because of the fight night.”
Nevada, like a lot of jurisdictions, has a regulatory exemption for University-held combative sports. This is so collegiate and intercollegiate competitions can occur in a largely self-governed manner. Specifically, NRS 467.170 reads as follows:
Amateur contest or exhibition of school, college or university exempted from provisions of chapter. The provisions of this chapter do not apply to any amateur contests or exhibitions of unarmed combat or any combination thereof conducted by or participated in exclusively by any school, college or university or by any association or organization of a school, college or university, when each participant in the contests or exhibitions is a bona fide student in the school, college or university.
It is unclear whether this exemption applies to this incident, which reportedly took place off-campus.
Whether or not such an exemption exists if a civil suit is pursued it would look into the standard of care. In determining the standards expected for an amateur full-contact boxing event, both amateur and professional regulations can be of guiding value. Proper medical oversight is a central feature of regulated combative sports. Allegations that no medical personnel was present and potential officiant impairment would not meet any reasonable standard of care.
In the current era of YouTube and celebrity boxing, it is vital for people to keep in mind that you don’t ‘play’ combat sports, and health and safety precautions must always play a paramount role when events take place.
Author Erik Magraken is a British Columbia litigation lawyer, combat sports law consultant, combat sports law blogger, and deeply, deeply appreciated UGer.
