Alex McKinnon tackle ‘a terrible, terrible accident’ says leading neurosurgeon
Nick Walshaw
The Daily Telegraph
March 27, 2014 12:00AM
THE Sydney neurosurgeon who brought Ben Ross back to rugby league has described the controversial Alex McKinnon tackle as “a terrible, terrible accident”.
A leading spinal specialist who has previously consulted to the NRL, Dr Richard Parkinson, last night told The Daily Telegraph how McKinnon — who fractured his neck in Monday Night Football — had received the type of “hyperflexion” injury usually associated with car accidents or swimmers being dumped onto a sandbar.
However, after reviewing several replays of the incident, the specialist said he could not blame McKinnon’s predicament on the tackle involving Melbourne defenders Jordan McLean, Jesse Bromwich and Kenny Bromwich.
McKinnon remains in an induced coma at The Alfred Hospital, Melbourne — having already undergone emergency surgery to repair fractures to the C4 and C5 vertebrae in his neck.
A devastated McLean, meanwhile, has been referred directly to the NRL judiciary for his role in the tackle and stood down indefinitely.
“But to me, the whole thing seems to be an unfortunate accident,’’ Dr Parkinson told The Daily Telegraph.
“It appears that rather than the tackle, it’s the weight of two players coming down on Alex which has caused the injury.
“The neck was definitely flexed, and I would think the significant damage caused, when those guys came down on top of him. I feel terribly sorry for Alex and my thoughts are with him and his family. It’s just one of those things where, looking at the footage, I’m not sure anyone has done anything wrong.”
Back in 2009, Dr Parkinson spent almost three hours repairing a ruptured disc that was pressing onto the spinal cord of then South Sydney forward Ben Ross.
Part of the surgery also required the Queenslander’s sixth and seventh cervical vertebrae to be fused together.
“Ben’s injuries were the result of a terrible accident, which also seems to be the case in this instance,’’ Dr Parkinson continued.
“The difference between the two, however, is that Ben didn’t have a fracture — he didn’t break the bone and have that instability.
“With Alex, and I can only talk in general terms, it sounds like there are bones floating around and there’s instability. That usually requires a fusion where the bones have to be knitted together with instrumentation.”
The rugby league community has rallied around McKinnon since the young Knight fell awkwardly in a three-man tackle on Monday night.
While club officials released no further statements on Wednesday, it’s understood the back-rower could remain in an induced coma for several days to keep the neck stable while also allowing swelling from his initial surgery to subside.
Yesterday, McKinnon’s parents, Scott and Kate, and his partner Teigan Power issued a statement to thank the public for their support during ‘‘a challenging time for everyone who loves Alex’’.
Despite being stood down indefinitely, it’s understood McLean is so distraught with the situation he would have been an unlikely starter against Canterbury this Saturday night.
Late Tuesday, the 22-year-old used his private Facebook account to post the following message of support: “Best wishes go out to Alex McKinnon I genuinely hope your (sic) alright and have a safe recovery.”
Meanwhile, the McKinnon family statement read: ‘‘We wish to thank the public and the media for the tremendous support and words of concern we have already received for our son and partner, Alex,’’ it read.
‘‘He remains in a critical but stable condition at The Alfred Hospital and is receiving the very best care.
‘‘Alex’s injury is still in its early days and we are still in the process of understanding its implications and what the future may hold for him.
‘‘This is a challenging time for everyone who loves Alex and, until such a time that we are feeling stronger, we ask that our family’s privacy is respected so that we can focus solely on his recovery.’’
NRL head of football Todd Greenberg has not set a date for the judiciary hearing “out of respect for the McKinnon family”, members of whom are in Melbourne and keeping a bedside vigil by the 2012 Junior Kangaroo.
