League player Tere Livingstone, pictured with partner Chloe and 19-month-old Nīkora, died after head knocks during two games in 2023.
League player Tere Livingstone, pictured with partner Chloe and 19-month-old Nīkora, died after head knocks during two games in 2023.
A coroner has used the death of a league player to highlight concerns about the growing “run it straight” trend, which is believed to have already claimed one teen’s life.
Tere Livingstone died in 2023 after receiving two head knocks within weeks.
The first was during a preseasongame, and he was later diagnosed with a concussion.
Then, he did not tell his coach or teammates about his diagnosis and played two back-to-back games, receiving a head knock in the second.
While Livingstone’s death was not related to the “Runit” trend, Coroner Bruce Hesketh has highlighted in findings released today how, if deaths can occur in a relatively controlled environment with concussion management practices like rugby league, then an unregulated activity like Runit was particularly dangerous.
“The competition has all the hallmarks of perilous activity that makes no attempt to mitigate head injury,” Coroner Hesketh said in his findings.
“There appears to be no governing body, the activity is not regulated, and has no publicly accessible written rules of participation. Neither is there any information to players around the signs and dangers of concussion or concussion management.”
Coroner Hesketh said that Runit was modelled after the National Football League and the Australian Football League, which had heavily invested in concussion prevention, identity, and management.
“However, in those team sports, the object by the ball carrier is to avoid being tackled, or being tackled in a way that they can protect themselves by sidestepping or turning into the tackler to lessen the blow. There are also strict rules around high tackles,” the coroner said.
“The same cannot be said for this latest trending competition.”
Coroner Hesketh’s comments come after Palmerston North teen Ryan Satterthwaite died in late May while playing a Runit-style tackle game and sustaining a critical head injury.
Ryan Satterthwaite, 19, died during a tackle game in Palmerston North. Photo / Instagram
His death followed two “Run it Straight” events that were hosted at West Auckland’s Trusts Arena in mid-May by the Australian-based Runit Championship League, with $20,000 cash for the winners.
In the findings into Livingstone’s death, the coroner said he commented about Runit “as a matter of public interest” and recommended that the events should not be recognised as a full sport in New Zealand.
His comments were made alongside his recommendations on the “sad case” of Livingstone’s death, where he noted that it was important for those playing all codes of rugby to adhere to concussion guidelines.
The head knocks
According to the findings, Livingstone received a head knock during a preseason game in May 2023, but remained on the field and played on.
During the following days, he complained of headaches and nausea to his partner and left work early due to a severe headache.
He saw his GP and told his partner that the doctor wasn’t overly concerned and would reserve a spot for him for an MRI scan if his pain became worse.
Almost a week later, Livingstone called his GP again, complaining of a persistent headache, then visited the clinic the following day, though he appeared well with no overtly concerning medical signs.
His doctor diagnosed him with a concussion and advised him not to play any contact sports for three to four weeks.
Tere Livingstone suffered a brain injury during a league match.
By June 6, Livingstone said he felt well enough to attend league training, but his partner convinced him not to.
He was due to play a tournament on June 10, and neither Livingstone’s coach nor his teammates knew about his concussion diagnosis.
Livingstone played the first game without incident, but then in the second, he was tackled on to his back, hitting his head on the ground, after which players reported he looked dazed.
He was asked several times if he was okay, and he replied that he was fine and continued playing, until he approached the sideline, went down on one knee and fell face first on to the ground.
Livingstone then began having a fit. People at the game moved him into the recovery position, and an ambulance was called.
He was taken to Tauranga Hospital emergency department before being flown to Waikato Hospital for further treatment, where he was diagnosed as having a subdural haematoma, sustained while playing league.
The following day, an assessment revealed “concerning neurology,” and he was placed on life support.
On June 15, Livingstone was declared brain dead and died the next day after being taken off life support.
‘This was a preventable death’
Livingstone’s family did not consent to an autopsy being performed on his body, and Coroner Hesketh ruled that, on the balance of probabilities, his death was caused by “second impact syndrome”.
“Repeated concussions have a cumulative effect, so if a person keeps having concussions, they may end up with a more serious injury, a permanent disability or dead,” he said.
Coroner Bruce Hesketh said Tere Livingstone's death was preventable. Photo / Jeremy Wilkinson
“I am satisfied Mr Livingstone’s death arose from second impact syndrome, which, based on the research to date, is a relatively rare condition.”
Coroner Hesketh said that in his opinion, if Livingstone had informed his coaches, his team, or the referee that he had a head injury, then he would have been stood down from playing for at least 21 days.
“Had that occurred and had he followed the graduated recovery and return stages set out on the NZRL website, I am satisfied from the literature I have read and the advice I have received, he would not have experienced second impact syndrome,” he said.
“This was a preventable death.”
Jeremy Wilkinson is an Open Justice reporter based in Manawatū, covering courts and justice issues with an interest in tribunals. He has been a journalist for nearly a decade and has worked for NZME since 2022.
