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Greene family calls on Bakersfield Track Club to change practices, county to review permitting

Posted at 2:11 PM, Jul 07, 2017
and last updated 2017-07-08 03:32:33-04

The family of Benjamin Greene, the Bakersfield attorney who died during a 5k in June, is calling on the Bakersfield Track Club to change its practices when it comes to excessive heat warnings. 

On the day Greene died, temperatures reached 110 degrees. 

On Friday, the same day public services were held for Greene, the family issued a statement saying in part, "... we request that the Bakersfield Track Club publicly confirms that, in the event of any future Excessive Heat Warning, races will be postponed. We also ask for a meaningful review of their policies regarding the presence of trained medics, volunteer or otherwise, at runs where there may be hundreds of participants."

The statement went on to call on the county to review its permitting process, "for events such as this to ensure that proper safeguards are in place to protect participants."