These sports injuries will give you nightmares. Welcome to WatchMojo and today, we’re counting down our picks for the Top 20 Most Tragic Sports Injuries Caught on Camera.
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00 "And the last thing any Browns fan wants to see, Nick Chubb holding his left leg."
00:04 "Oh boy."
00:05 Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the top 20
00:10 most tragic sports injuries caught on camera. Just so we're clear,
00:13 we aren't including any entries that came as a result of malicious intent
00:17 or ones that resulted in death.
00:19 "You know, when I came down on my knees, it wasn't under me."
00:22 Number 20, Alan Ray.
00:25 "As he dove for a loose ball, Carl Krauser, watch Krauser's left hand,
00:30 comes up and inadvertently pokes Alan Ray in the right eye."
00:35 Considering how often defenders put their hands in your players' faces,
00:38 it's pretty remarkable that more athletes don't get poked in the eye.
00:41 But when it does happen, it can be a pretty nasty injury.
00:45 While playing for Villanova during the 2006 Big East tournament,
00:49 Alan Ray got poked in the eye by Carl Krauser while fighting for a loose ball.
00:53 Ray's eye looked like it had literally popped out of its socket,
00:56 causing him to lose his vision.
00:58 Luckily for Ray, his eyelid had gone behind his eye,
01:02 and he only suffered soft tissue damage, returning to action in less than a week.
01:07 Regardless, it's a pretty nasty injury to see again, especially in slow motion.
01:12 "And the pupil of his eye pops out of the socket,
01:16 and a closer look, potentially serious injury."
01:20 Number 19, Matt Henry.
01:22 "Inside the 30, has his feet cut under him at the 20-yard line."
01:28 This one may not look like much at first glance,
01:30 but it's truly horrific when you slow it down.
01:33 Henry was a star running back for the University of Manitoba,
01:36 and back in 2007, the team was attempting to complete a perfect season
01:41 by winning the 43rd Vanier Cup.
01:43 Unfortunately, Henry never made it out of the first quarter.
01:47 On a seemingly innocent-looking tackle,
01:49 Henry's leg flew over his shoulder and ended up backwards over his head.
01:54 Henry suffered a broken femur on the play, fracturing it in three places.
01:58 "And if you're a little bit squeamish, you might not want to turn away from this one."
02:03 Number 18, Paul George.
02:05 "Goes a little bit too fast for his own good.
02:07 Nice contest for the foul, but Paul George is shaking up."
02:13 Back in 2014, Paul George, one of the rising stars in the NBA for the Indiana Pacers,
02:18 was tapped to represent the United States at the FIBA Basketball World Cup in Spain.
02:24 Unfortunately, he never made it there.
02:26 During a scrimmage in Las Vegas, George fell and landed awkwardly
02:30 after attempting to block a James Harden layup.
02:33 His leg snapped against the base of the basket stanchion,
02:37 causing him to fracture both bones in his lower right leg.
02:40 "We're not going to show it to you again, folks.
02:42 It was, quite frankly, very, very... it was almost gruesome."
02:50 Despite many believing George would miss the entire NBA season,
02:54 he remarkably returned in April to play the Pacers' final six games
02:58 and help the US win gold at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio.
03:03 "I was a little eerie about stepping on these Vegas floors,
03:06 but God bless, he gave me a second chance, and this crowd was amazing tonight."
03:11 #17. Marcus Latimore
03:13 "Latimore, wrapped up by Lathers."
03:17 As a freshman running back in 2010, Marcus Latimore burst onto the scene in the SEC,
03:22 rushing for over 1,100 yards and 17 touchdowns,
03:26 and leading South Carolina to a spot in the SEC Championship game.
03:30 An injury cut his 2011 season short,
03:32 but he returned the following year to pick up where he left off.
03:36 His season ended early again, however,
03:38 this time because of a horrific knee injury during a game against the Tennessee Volunteers.
03:44 "You see #24 in white, Gordon, come racing in, helmet on knee."
03:49 Latimore not only tore every ligament in his right knee,
03:52 he also dislocated it and suffered severe nerve damage,
03:56 essentially ending his football career.
03:58 "One of the more talented running backs in all of college football."
04:01 #16. Shawn Livingston
04:04 "Deal by Livingston, that's a good defense by Mobley."
04:07 What you may not know is that his career nearly ended back in 2007
04:11 because of this terrible injury.
04:14 After missing a layup, Livingston landed awkwardly,
04:17 completely destroying his left knee.
04:19 He tore his ACL, PCL, and lateral meniscus,
04:23 and dislocated his tibiofibular joint and patella.
04:26 One doctor even told him that his leg may need to be amputated,
04:30 and there were concerns that he may never walk again.
04:33 It was nearly 20 months before he played in another NBA game.
04:37 "I didn't know the magnitude of the time, but, you know, going through it, it changed my life."
04:42 #15. Tyrone Prothrow
04:45 "Dive, caught! No, it was dropped, but there's a flag."
04:50 Here's another college football star who never had the chance to shine in the NFL
04:55 because of an injury.
04:56 Tyrone Prothrow was an electric wide receiver for Alabama back in the mid-2000s,
05:01 but all that came to an end during a game against the Florida Gators.
05:05 Prothrow attempted to make a leaping touchdown catch,
05:08 but he couldn't quite come up with the ball and landed hard on the ground.
05:12 Unfortunately, the Florida Gators cornerback landed on top of Prothrow's left leg,
05:17 completely snapping it in half.
05:20 Prothrow broke both his tibia and fibula and never played football again.
05:25 He's since had 11 extensive surgeries on his leg, and it's still not 100%.
05:30 "It really wasn't until after I graduated that I just kind of accepted it myself and moved on with my life."
05:39 #14. Paulo Diogo
05:41 If you or a significant other is wondering why you aren't wearing your ring while you play soccer,
05:46 show them this video.
05:48 Celebrating a late goal, Paulo Diogo jumped onto the metal fence in front of the fans.
05:53 What he failed to realize was that his wedding ring was actually stuck in the fence,
05:57 and when he jumped down, his ring stayed attached, as did most of his ring finger.
06:03 To make matters worse, he received a yellow card for his celebration,
06:07 and doctors could not reattach that part of his finger.
06:10 That's what we call adding insult to injury.
06:13 #13. Jessica Dubé
06:16 "Side by side spins now...
06:19 Oh! Oh no!"
06:21 Pairs figure skating requires the utmost trust between partners,
06:24 as they're often either catching you or performing high-speed spins alongside you.
06:29 If one partner is off by even an inch or a second, disaster can strike.
06:34 Jessica Dubé found this out the hard way back in 2007 at the Four Continents Championships in Colorado.
06:41 Skating with her partner Bryce Davison, the pair attempted to complete a side-by-side camel spin.
06:46 Dubé drifted towards Davison, however, resulting in the blade of his skate striking the side of her face.
06:52 "You want those spins to be close, but not that close."
06:56 She needed 83 stitches to repair the cut on her nose and left cheek,
07:01 and both skaters received treatment for PTSD.
07:04 "I really wanted him to know that I didn't think it was his fault at all."
07:10 #12. Leslie Smith
07:12 UFC fighters are some of the toughest people on the planet.
07:16 For instance, only a UFC fighter could have their ear literally explode,
07:20 and exclaim "I'm fine" while attempting to continue the fight.
07:24 While fighting Jessica Eye at UFC 80, Smith was struck with a right hand directly in her ear.
07:30 Blood sprayed out immediately, and a closer look showed that the ear was basically hanging off her head.
07:36 The doctors and referee agreed to end the fight to prevent any more damage, much to the chagrin of Smith.
07:43 "But I did see the picture afterward, and it's pretty gnarly, and I probably only would have gotten worse."
07:48 #11. Trent McCleary
07:51 Hockey players are some of the most fearless athletes out there.
07:54 On January 29th, 2000, Montreal Canadiens forward Trent McCleary proved it
07:59 by dropping to the ice to block a slap shot from Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Chris Terrien.
08:05 The puck hit McCleary in his throat from only a few feet away, however,
08:09 fracturing his larynx and causing a collapsed lung.
08:12 "They dislocated my jaw and opened my airway so some air could get in."
08:17 McCleary was minutes away from dying on the ice,
08:19 but the medical staff at the Montreal Arena was able to partially open his airway,
08:24 and he was rushed to hospital for an emergency tracheotomy so time-sensitive
08:28 McCleary was still in his skates during the procedure.
08:32 But the operation saved his life.
08:34 "Would I have done anything different? No. And that's... I can sleep at night with that fact."
08:39 #10. Richard Zednik
08:42 "There's a hit by Yokanen on McArthur. Oh boy, Zednik, oh my goodness!"
08:46 "God, he's bleeding bad!"
08:48 The only plus side of Jessica Dubé's injury was that she didn't take the skate blade to her neck.
08:54 Richard Zednik did.
08:55 In a game against the Buffalo Sabres, Zednik's teammate Oli Yokanen fell in front of him,
09:00 accidentally clipping Zednik's neck with his skate blade.
09:04 The blade cut his external carotid artery, and he immediately raced off the ice,
09:09 leaving a trail of blood behind him.
09:11 "That's the doctor there hustling across the ice. Zednik is in the dressing room."
09:16 Although he lost five units of blood, the artery had not been severed,
09:21 and doctors were able to perform emergency surgery to fix the laceration.
09:25 Zednik missed the remainder of the season, but returned the following year to play 70 games.
09:31 "Anybody old enough can remember the Clint Malachuk incident."
09:36 #9. Anderson Silva
09:38 As of the time of writing, Anderson Silva holds the record for the longest win streak in UFC history.
09:44 This streak ended with a defeat at the hands of Chris Weidman, however, in July of 2013.
09:50 A rematch between the two fighters was held on December 28, 2013,
09:54 but this fight went even worse for Silva.
09:57 In the second round, Weidman checked one of Silva's leg kicks,
10:01 which resulted in a horrific break for the Brazilian fighter.
10:04 Silva's foot literally wrapped around Weidman's leg.
10:08 Silva would rally, however, and defeat Nick Diaz in UFC 183 in his return.
10:14 Although that win was tainted by charges of drug use.
10:17 #8. Moises Alou
10:20 The lack of physical contact makes baseball one of the safer sports,
10:24 but the injury suffered by Montreal Expo's outfielder Moises Alou was truly horrific.
10:30 Playing at St. Louis' Bush Stadium on September 16, 1993,
10:34 Alou shot a ball into left field, and subsequently took a wide turn while rounding a base.
10:40 As he attempted to stop and retreat to the bag, his ankle snapped,
10:44 and looked as though it had been turned 90 degrees.
10:47 Even an umpire seeing exactly what we saw couldn't look.
10:51 Alou had to be carried off the field, and missed the rest of the 1993 season.
10:56 #7. Sid Vicious
10:58 Wrestling is supposed to be scripted and choreographed,
11:07 but we have a hard time believing this injury to Sid Vicious was planned.
11:11 On January 14, 2001, facing pressure from World Championship Wrestling Management
11:16 to expand his repertoire of moves, Vicious attempted an aerial maneuver on Scott Steiner,
11:21 called the "Big Boot" from the second turnbuckle.
11:24 He landed awkwardly on his left leg, however, snapping both his tibia and fibula.
11:33 With the bones breaking through the skin, Vicious needed two hours of surgery
11:37 and a 17-inch rod in his leg, and required a cane to walk for a while afterwards.
11:42 Amazingly, he eventually stepped back into the ring, returning to the WWE in 2012.
11:55 #6. Kevin Ware
11:58 It's one thing when a professional athlete suffers a horrible injury,
12:07 but it's truly tragic when it happens at the college level to young athletes
12:11 who are not even earning any money. On March 31, 2013, Louisville Cardinals guard Kevin Ware
12:25 suffered one of the most gruesome injuries you will ever see in an Elite 8 game against
12:30 the Duke Blue Devils. Ware attempted to block a three-point shot, but when he landed,
12:36 he snapped his tibia, which resulted in the bone protruding out of his shin.
12:40 The players on the bench and fans in the first few rows were visibly shaken
12:47 after seeing the extent of the injury, as was the entire internet when the clip went viral.
12:53 #5. Gibril Sisse
12:59 Some people have the worst luck, and while Gibril Sisse is a football star,
13:03 we'd still say he has some bad luck, as he broke both of his legs in the span of less than two
13:09 years. The first incident came on October 30, 2004, while he was playing for Liverpool,
13:15 when Sisse's boot got caught in the turf, snapping the tibia and fibula in his left leg,
13:21 an injury that was supposedly so serious, the athlete easily could have lost his leg below the
13:26 knee. Then, while playing for France in a warm-up game against China on June 7, 2006, Sisse's right
13:33 boot got caught in the turf once again, resulting in another nasty broken leg. Amazingly, Sisse
13:46 recovered from both injuries and scored more than 50 goals over two seasons from 2009 to 2011.
13:53 #4. Willis McGahee
14:04 Returning to college sports once again, Willis McGahee was one of the most important players
14:14 on the 2002 Miami Hurricanes team that finished the season ranked number one in the polls.
14:19 In the 2003 Fiesta Bowl National Championship game against Ohio State,
14:30 the Hurricanes found themselves down 17-14 in the fourth quarter. McGahee caught a screen pass,
14:36 but was immediately hit low by Ohio safety Will Allen. McGahee's knee bent backwards,
14:42 resulting in ACL, PCL, and MCL tears. To end this entry on a positive note,
14:48 after a long rehabilitation process, McGahee eventually made the NFL and had a successful
14:55 career. #3. Joe Theismann
15:06 Washington Redskins QB Joe Theismann had a successful NFL career that saw him win
15:11 one Super Bowl. However, he may be best remembered for suffering through what was labeled by the
15:16 Washington Post as "the hit that no one who saw it can ever forget" and the resulting injury that
15:22 ended his career on November 18, 1985. Dropping back to pass in a Monday night football game
15:28 against the rival New York Giants, Theismann was hit by Lawrence Taylor, with Gary Reasons and Harry
15:34 Carson also piling on. Taylor's knee hit Theismann with such force that it snapped his tibia and
15:40 fibula. You know it's bad when the opposing players are desperately calling for medical
15:45 assistance. And it was bad. Theismann was forced to retire at the age of 36.
15:51 #2. Alex McKinnon It's been said that rugby is a hooligan sport
16:02 played by gentlemen. And rugby players arguably put their bodies on the line more than any other
16:07 athlete. Unfortunately for rugby league player Alex McKinnon, this resulted in a life-changing
16:18 injury. Playing for the Newcastle Knights in 2014, McKinnon was involved in a dangerous play
16:28 when he was tackled by Melbourne Storm forward Jordan McClain, and his head was driven hard
16:34 into the ground. The collision fractured two of McKinnon's vertebrae, paralyzing him on the spot
16:39 in one of the scariest scenes ever in a sporting event. Remarkably, McKinnon was able to stand up
16:45 after just 10 months of rehab, and still believes he will one day be able to walk again.
17:02 Before we continue, be sure to subscribe to our channel and ring the bell to get notified
17:06 about our latest videos. You have the option to be notified for occasional videos or all of them.
17:12 If you're on your phone, make sure you go into your settings and switch on notifications.
17:16 #1. Clint Malarchuk Nothing compares to Clint Malarchuk.
17:29 The goaltender for the Buffalo Sabres, Malarchuk and his team were facing the St. Louis Blues on
17:34 March 22, 1989, when the goalie's carotid artery was severed by a skate blade in a collision in
17:41 the crease. Though Malarchuk had already requested a priest, his life was miraculously saved by the
17:48 team's athletic trainer, a Vietnam vet and a former army medic, who pinched off the blood vessel
17:53 until doctors arrived. In total, Malarchuk lost 1.5 liters of blood and required 300 stitches.
18:02 #2. Ben Smith