Coroner Says Ruptured Artery Caused Death Of Coach

The Pulaski County, Arkansas Coroner’s office says the foul ball that killed Tulsa Drillers coach Mike Coolbaugh ruptured an artery in his neck and he died from a loss of blood to the brain. The coroner’s

Wednesday, July 25th 2007, 1:26 pm

By: News On 6


The Pulaski County, Arkansas Coroner’s office says the foul ball that killed Tulsa Drillers coach Mike Coolbaugh ruptured an artery in his neck and he died from a loss of blood to the brain. The coroner’s office says the line drive hit Coolbaugh on the left side of the neck while he stood in the first-base coach's box.

The Drillers and the Arkansas Travelers were in the ninth inning, when Tino Sanchez hit a foul ball just outside the first base line, striking Coolbaugh.

Medical personnel at the game administered CPR on the field before Coolbaugh was taken by ambulance to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 9:47 p.m.

Coolbaugh had only been coaching with the Drillers for a month, after a wrist injury ended his 17 years of playing mostly minor league baseball. He played 39 games with the Milwaukee Brewers and five games for the St. Louis Cardinals.

Related stories:

7/5/2007 Coolbaugh Named Drillers Interim Hitting Coach

7/23/2007 Line Drive Hits And Kills Drillers Coach

7/24/2007 Mourning Coaches Wonder About Safety

7/24/2007 - Drillers To Return To The Field
logo

Get The Daily Update!

Be among the first to get breaking news, weather, and general news updates from News on 6 delivered right to your inbox!

More Like This

July 25th, 2007

September 29th, 2024

September 17th, 2024

July 4th, 2024

Top Headlines

December 14th, 2024

December 14th, 2024

December 14th, 2024

December 14th, 2024