When it was a tragic accident, and a reminder of the skills required to excel in sport
What happened?
A note to say that this case study library normally only focuses on accidents and incidents in the UK – this is to ensure that any legal references relate to UK legislation. This case study is from Australia, but is totally transferable to the UK as cricket is played and managed in the same way.
A 17 year-old cricketer was practising in the nets in Melbourne, Australia. He was wearing a helmet, but no neck guard. He was hit in the neck by a ball thrown using a handheld ball launcher.
The ball that hit him was launched by a thrower using a handheld device, commonly used to accelerate the speed of the ball and ease the strain of bowling on the shoulders.
Emergency workers attended the scene before the boy was rushed to hospital in a critical condition after doctors found the strike caused a ruptured artery and intracranial haemorrhage. He was put on life support but died two days later.
Legal Outcome
At the inquest, the coroner said a young aspiring sportsman’s death while batting in the nets during cricket practice was a tragic accident. His death was a ‘misadventure’ by well-meaning young people correctly using cricket equipment. He does not plan to make any adverse findings about the tragic incident.
What can we learn from what happened?
In 2014, Australian cricketer Philip Hughes died after being struck on the neck by a ball while batting in a men’s professional match. This was similar to the fatality here. Philip Hughes’ death was probably the most publicised accident in the history of the game, and served to remind everyone involved of how potentially hazardous cricket can be. The hazard is a very hard cricket ball being propelled at very high speed.
With Philip Hughes’ death, he was being bowled at conventionally in a match. The 17 year-old cricketer who lost his life in Melbourne was facing balls being delivered by a ball thrower (or launcher). These aim to mimic the speed of a conventional bowler, but enable greater repetition of the motion, easing the physical stress of the coach. Their use has increased significantly over the past ten to twenty years, and they are very effective.
That said, their use by coaches must be appropriate to the ability of the batter, otherwise batters may be subject to ball speeds that they cannot reasonably cope with, and the risk of an accident may be unnecessarily high. There is no suggestion of this in this case study – it was a tragic accident, and a reminder of the skills required to excel in sport.
Source of Information
BBC News Online
News.com.au