QUICK TAKE | De Miguel Dies After On-Field Collision. Seven Fatal Sporting Injuries Revisited
1. Jesús de Miguel: a collision chasing the ball
The 30-year-old Tenerife striker died on November 3, a day after colliding with Andorra goalkeeper Jesús Owono during a Spanish second-division match. Tenerife reported that his neurological condition deteriorated after he was admitted to intensive care.
2. John Thomson: a goalkeeper’s fatal challenge
Celtic goalkeeper Thomson was 22 when he collided with Rangers forward Sam English at Ibrox on September 5, 1931. Diving at the striker’s feet, he suffered a severe head injury when his head struck English’s knee. He died in hospital that evening.
3. Phillip Hughes: a delivery struck his neck
The Australian batter was hit by a short-pitched ball during a Sheffield Shield match at the Sydney Cricket Ground in November 2014. Hughes, 25, died two days later. A coroner subsequently found no malicious intent and that the latest protective equipment then available would not have prevented his death.
4. Raman Lamba: a fielder struck at close range
The former India batter suffered a head injury while fielding at short leg in a club match in Dhaka in February 1998. Lamba, 38, was not wearing a helmet when the ball struck him. He died days later, shocking Indian and Bangladeshi cricket.
The Era of Forever Wars
30 Oct 2026 - Vol 05 | Issue 44
Coping with an explosive Middle East
5. Adam Johnson: a skate injury during play
The 29-year-old American was playing for Nottingham Panthers against Sheffield Steelers in October 2023 when another player’s skate cut his neck. He died in hospital. British prosecutors announced in April 2025 that no criminal charges would follow the investigation.
6. Fabio Casartelli: a Tour de France descent
Italy’s reigning Olympic road-race champion died following a crash on the 15th stage of the 1995 Tour de France. Casartelli struck a roadside concrete block during a mountain descent. Casartelli was 24.
7. Nodar Kumaritashvili: an Olympic training run
The Georgian luger was 21 when he died during training at Whistler on February 12, 2010, hours before the Vancouver Winter Olympics opened. He left the track and struck a steel pillar. His death prompted scrutiny of the track and safety arrangements.