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Footballer dies after
on-field collision
A Western Australian amateur footballer
died in hospital following a collision on
field during his team’s grand final last
September.
Bullcreek Leeming thirds E1 captain
Kyle Thomas, 25, accidentally collided
with another player minutes before the
end the match against the Wooroloo
prison team.
The collision was described by a
spectator as a “run-of-the-mill hip-
and-shoulder” and was deemed not a
reportable offence.
Mr Thomas, described as a highly
respected leader of the club, had played
so well he was named best on ground.
Chris Nash, chief executive of
Sportscover, estimated more than half
of amateur players got injured.
Sports Medicine WA vicepresident
Alexandra
McManus
said
any
sportsperson who had a head injury
should receive proper medical attention.
A golfer who lost an eye after he was hit by
a wayward ball has won almost £400,000
damages.
Anthony Phee, 44, sued both the player who
hit the ball and the course where he was
playing. At the Court of Session in Edinburgh
last November, a judge ruled in favour of Mr
Phee and said Mr Gordon was 70% liable
and the club was 30% liable.
Mr Phee was walking between holes at
Niddry Castle Golf Club in Winchburgh,
West Lothian when he was hit by the ball.
He had to be given a prosthetic eye after the
incident.
Mr Gordon had seen the groups of four
players, including Mr Phee walking down a
path from the sixth to the seventh tee along
the edge of the fairway. There were no
warning signs on the path.
When Mr Gordon hit the ball on the 18th hole,
it veered right towards the group. He shouted
“fore” when he saw where it was heading but
it was too late and Mr Phee was hit.
After the accident on August 10, 2007, Mr
Phee, a railway engineer, had to give up his
job while he was recovering.
Delivering the judgement on Friday, Lord
Brailsford said: “By his own admission
when he came to strike the ball he was no
longer thinking of the safety and security
of the pursuer (Mr Phee) and his three
companions.
“I consider that these errors were caused by
an inflated degree of confidence occasioned
by what Mr Gordon considered, wrongly in
my view, to be the very good round of golf
he was having.”
“As a result of overconfidence Mr Gordon
made his tee shot at a time when the
exercise of reasonable care should have
informed him that there was a foreseeable
risk that his shot might be bad and, further,
might encroach on the area being traversed
by Mr Phee.”
The judge said the club had also failed
because signs were not in place.
Scottish Golfer awarded £400,000
damages over loss of eye
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