A lawsuit against the Indian River County School district by the parents of a Sebastian teen, who died during football practice in 2014, is entering a new phase. Attorneys for the parents of William Shogran Junior are deposing a battery of people.
"It's the worst thing to lose your child," said William Shogran, saying his son's death four years ago is still incredibly painful to talk about.
Courtney and William Shogran sat doing the interview under their late son's football jersey. They keep William's jersey on the wall, but not for the reasons you may think. They tell me football wasn't even really his thing.
"The jersey is the path he was going and where he would’ve gone playing football. It wasn’t his life it was his next step," his father said.
It's been three years, but William's father and stepmother still remember how they heard their 14-year-old son had died from possible heatstroke while at football camp with Sebastian River High School.
"Phone calls that play through my head all the time they almost haunt me," said William Shogran, the teen's father.
They said it's the difference between what they were initially told happened and what the police report revealed that led them to file a lawsuit alleging the district was negligent in their son's death.
We reached out to the Indian River County School District for comment, but they don't comment on pending litigation.
"To make sure no body else gets those phone calls and has to live what we live now," said Courtney Shogran, his stepmother, when she described why they are still seeking answers.
Court depositions are now underway. The Shogran's attorney says they reveal there was no trainer present at the practice, that a portable way to cool down was not readily available, and also point to what they call a general lack of communication between coaches about the fact the 14-year-old had thrown up the day he passed away.
"These aren’t NFL players, these aren’t adults who can make a decision about whether or not they’ve had enough these are children and they are usually children that want to play and do their best," his father said.
The attorney for the Shogran family said the next hearing is set for October. They are hoping to have a trial date set at that point.
-----
William Shogran Jr. Memorial on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Williamshogranjrmemorial/
