AN INCIDENT occurred on an Air New Zealand flight to Christchurch last week which highlights how little we appreciate the effects of head injuries. A teenage mountain biker abruptly decided he did not want to be in the plane, fortunately coming to that conclusion while the plane was on the ground - but taxiing. I was one of the passengers, and observed it happening across from my seat. I later wrote up the incident for the NZ Herald.
The pilot told us later, after the plane had returned to the terminal and the man had left, that he had suffered a head injury from a bike accident and this had been his second attempt to get to Christchurch from Wellington.
I often think there is a double hit that dulls us to the seriousness of blows to the head.
Firstly, there's our legacy of playing rugby while concussed. That is unfair in modern terms, because these days it isn't allowed - in fact, people shouldn't be playing the next game, and most coaches respect that.
But we seem to have a misplaced respect for the guy who can play an entire game after getting a knock, and not remember a thing about it.
