Australian batsman Hughes dies from head injury

[Jazzy]

Australian cricketer Phillip Hughes died Thursday from a "catastrophic" injury to his head, two days after being struck by a delivery during a match.

Hughes was wearing a helmet Tuesday when he was hit after attempting to hook a short-pitch ball from New South Wales fast bowler Sean Abbott.

Dr. Tony Grabs, a surgeon and director of trauma services who treated Hughes at St. Vincent's, said the 25-year-old cricketer had died from a rare injury — there have been only 100 documented cases of vertebral artery dissection — which resulted in severe bleeding on his brain.

"We did a CAT scan of the head to determine what we could do," Grabs said. "This occurred very early and it was recognized we had to make an intervention to help get the pressure down in the brain. He had extensive surgery to remove some of the skull from around his brain to help allow the brain to expand so it wasn't compressed."

Australian team doctor Peter Brukner said Hughes' recovery did not go as hoped.

"Over a period of the first 24 to 48 hours he did not make very much improvement and unfortunately, as a consequence of the injury, he died," Brukner said.

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Very sad.

 

[identityissues8]

Been all over the news here - apparently only 100 people have ever died from this particular injury and never from a Cricket Ball.
Horrible.

 

[Sinon]

Australian team doctor Peter Brukner said Hughes' recovery did not go as hoped.

Thank you, captain obvious.

Very sad, but neat in a way. That doctor got to see an extremely rare phenomenon. Unfortunately he probably won't be able to provide any information on the problem itself, but still.