A 19-year-old man has died after being critically injured playing a tackle game with friends in Palmerston North on Sunday.
Manawatū Area Commander Inspector Ross Grantham said the man suffered a “serious head injury” when tackled and was taken to hospital by his friends.
“Tragically, he passed away in hospital on Monday night.
“This young man’s death is an absolute tragedy and my thoughts are with his family and friends.”
Grantham said the tackle game was based on a social media-driven trend where participants compete in full-contact collisions without protective gear.
“While this was an impromptu game among friends, not a planned event, this tragic outcome does highlight the inherent safety concerns with such an activity.
“We would urge anyone thinking about taking part in a game or event like this to consider the significant safety and injury risks.”
Ryan Satterthwaite died in hospital on Monday night. (Source: 1News)
While this was not a criminal matter, police would continue to undertake inquiries on behalf of the coroner.
The official full-body collision events had already drawn criticism, with Auckland University neuroscientist Helen Murray telling 1News earlier this month that the likelihood of injury was “much higher” in a sport where the intent was to collide.
“When you have these sorts of collisions, even if your head isn’t directly involved, we have what you call a head acceleration event.
“So the brain is bouncing around in your skull [and] the risk of that causing damage, concussion or worse is even higher,” she said.
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