Former Hockey Player Launches Lawsuit Over Career-Ending Injury

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TJ Tucker
June 28, 2023 (1:07 PM)

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Hockey is a fast, and rough sport. At any moment, one wrong turn or move can result in serious injuries. One of those incidents is now the subject of a large lawsuit by a former player whose career was ended in 2020.

Background

Isaac Dixon was a player with the Grand Falls Rapids of the Maritime Hockey League in December of 2020. While taking on the Edmundston Blizzard, he was driven into the boards by Blizzard defenceman Jeremy Duguay. The hit ended Dixon's ability to play hockey.

In court documents filed by Dixon's lawyer, he claims he asked for an ambulance to be called while lying on the ice, and told Blizzard training staff he couldn't feel his legs and thought his back might be broken. He claims they told him to try and get up. After he was taken back to the dressing room, he was checked by training staff of the Blizzard again. The trainer said he could find nothing wrong with his back and again told Dixon to try to stand.

After an ambulance was called, staff at the Edmundston hospital determined he had "suffered a burst fracture of a vertebra, resulting in a spinal cord injury." It required emergency surgery in Moncton. While Dixon is walking again, he will never again play hockey professionally.

Defendants

Dixon's lawsuit, which does not specify how much money he is seeking, lists Hockey Canada, Hockey Canada's insurance company, the MHL, his own team, and the opposing team as defendants. Also listed is Duguay, as well as others. Dixon's lawyer said he is not yet ready to speak to the media, but confirmed he will never play hockey again.

All parties named in the lawsuit have expressed the intention to file defences. None of the claims have been proven in court nor tested by a judge. Dixon alleges Hockey Canada's insurance company denied his claim for the injury and for money to be used towards rehabilitation.

Source: CBC News