San Francisco 49ers’ team doctor Daniel Garza dies

According to a report from CSN Bay Area and the team, San Francisco 49ers’ team medical director, Dr. Daniel Garza, has passed away.

Garza was a leading researcher into concussions and prevention of traumatic brain injury at Stanford University, in addition to being in charge of diagnosing them on the sideline for the team.

Garza was an assistant professor of orthopedic surgery and emergency medicine at Stanford.

The team put out the following statement concerning the doctor’s death:

“The 49ers organization has been informed of a tragedy,” the team said, courtesy of the San Jose Mercury News. “We were saddened to learn Dr. Dan Garza died unexpectedly Tuesday. Our sincerest thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends during this trying time.”

According to the San Jose Mercury News, Garza conducted researched concussions by fitting athletes with mouthpieces that measured “the impact and frequency of collisions.”

“Dan Garza was very dedicated to sports medicine, to teaching human physiology and to his research to improve recovery and treatment outcomes for athletes,” said Dr. William Maloney, a professor and chair of Stanford’s department of orthopedic surgery, according to the Mercury News. “He was persistent in his desire to find solutions to one of the most concerning areas in our field, the prevention of concussions and head trauma. We are saddened by his loss and the loss to our profession.”

Garza passed away on Tuesday, and was just 43 years old.  Cause of death has yet to be determined.