t's a sad day in the sports world as it has been confirmed that 25-year old Phil Hughes, an Australian Cricketer, has succumbed to a head injury that occurred during a match two days ago. Hughes was fatally injured when hit by a "bouncer," a short ball that bounces up towards the batsman's torso, near his left ear. The ball somehow managed to hit Hughes at the top of his neck, in spite of his helmet because he just so happened to swivel at that moment. Hughes suffered a massive bleed to his brain almost instantly and never recovered from a medically induced coma.
According to Australian team doctor, Peter Bruckner, Hughes was hit in the neck and "as a result of that blow, his vertebral artery was compressed by the ball. That caused the artery to split and for bleeding to go up into the brain. And he had a massive bleed into his brain. This is frequently fatal at the time." Doctors on the scene were somehow able to resuscitate Hughes and a procedure to relieve pressure on his brain was then performed.
Hughes' death was confirmed by the Australian Cricketer's governing body on Thursday. "Our thoughts go out to Phillip's family, friends, and the entire cricket community on this incredibly sad day. He was not in pain before he passed and was surrounded by his family and close friends. As a cricket community, we mourn his loss and extend our deepest sympathies to Phillips family and friends at this incredibly sad time," said a spokesperson for Cricket Australia.
Hughes was extremely popular within his sport and he was thought to be a serious talent that was going to be involved in the sport for a long time. Fans are grieving the loss of such a talented player to the sport that they love so much.
