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November 8th, 2023 by Miami Back & Neck Specialists
Tragic Death of Ice Hockey Player Underscores Urgent Need for Improved Neck Injury Education
Last week, American ice hockey player Adam Johnson died in a “freak accident” during a game. Johnson, 29, was allegedly “struck in the throat by an opponent’s skate, causing a fatal injury,” reports The Guardian. The incident occurred when another player’s ice skate cut Johnson’s neck—slicing his carotid artery. Johnson died in the ambulance. As a result, the National Hockey League is now “strongly recommending” players use neck guards going forward. According to reports, two other professional ice hockey players had their necks slit during games in 1989 and 2008—but both survived.
A 1996 article published in the Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports found that three amateur ice hockey players also experienced neck slash injuries, with two dying from their wounds. “One player died of asphyxiation secondary to hemorrhage into the respiratory passage, but the other died of hemorrhage from the main blood vessels in the neck, severed by the skate blade,” the authors write. “Neck slash injury from skate blades, as a preventable sports-related injury, and the need for neck protective equipment in preventing such injuries are discussed.”
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