Reality TV show 'spear tackle' leaves rowing champ fearing spinal injury

Steve Westlake

Trans-Atlantic rowing champion Steve Westlake has narrowly escaped a serious spinal injury after being injured filming a yet-to-be-screened reality television show in New Zealand.

The rower, who partnered Matt Goodman to win the Ward Evans Atlantic Rowing Challenge in 2001, was injured after allegedly being spear-tackled by four rugby league players in the show No Opportunity Wasted.

The show, hosted and directed by Phil Keoghan of The Amazing Race, takes everyday New Zealanders outside of their comfort zones.

The episode, which will air this year on TV2, features Westlake with several other sports stars. One of his challenges was to be tackled by four rugby league players who compete in the local Bartercard Cup competition.

He allegedly hit the tacklers with his head at the wrong angle and was then driven into the ground, suffering a suspected fracture of the C2 vertebrae.

"I sort of got tackled reasonably hard and wasn't expecting what they were going to do," said Westlake.

It was first thought that Westlake had just jarred his neck after initial treatment on the set. He returned to see the clinical registrar to collect his x-rays and get medical clearance.

"I felt things weren't quite right but didn't think it was overly serious until the x-rays came back and there was a shadow on one of the vertebrae.

"I had good feeling in my arms and legs, but there I was with a neck brace and thinking what a downer it would be to be out of action for six or nine months."

Westlake was immediately put in a collar and rushed to hospital but said he had recovered well after having his neck in a brace for a few days.

He was "hopeful" he would compete at the Ocean Thunder Pro-Surf Boat Series in Sydney next weekend with his Red Beach Flying Herons team.

The series producer of Great Southern Television, Andrew Shaw, confirmed Westlake suffered "a minor neck injury" while filming the episode but said the matter had been dealt with professionally at the time.

"We have the appropriate safety controls on set, it's certainly not a matter of someone just signing an indemnity clause", he said.

In 2003, a man spent a month in hospital recovering after suffering burns to 12 per cent of his body on the show Going Straight.

The injured contestant won the episode and its $10,000 prize. Touchdown Television was fined $30,000 and ordered to pay reparations of $35,000.