Former All Black Hayman seriously injured in training accident

Former All Black Hayman seriously injured in training accident

Former All Black Carl Hayman has been left with serious injuries after an accident while riding a bike in Mangawhai Heads.

Hayman – who recently published a memoir about his rugby career and battle with dementia – was doing training when he fell off his bike this morning, breaking his collarbone before he was eventually found in a cold, wet ditch with possible hypothermia, 1News understands.

The incident happened around 11am, and Hayman was flown to Whangārei Hospital, where he is now recovering.

1News understands Hayman has been in training for an Ironman event in Wales as well as a swim across the English Channel for the Head for Change charity.

Hayman was set to do the charity event alongside the former Welsh rugby player Alix Popham, who has also been diagnosed with early onset dementia and probable CTE – a progressive brain disease linked to repeated knocks to the head.

The pair have supported each other throughout their dementia battles and regularly call each other for check-ins from opposite sides of the world.

Hayman told Sunday last month it hasn’t been an easy journey.

“I’ll probably go two or three times to the supermarket to make sure I get the things that I went for in the first place.” he said. “Anything which is busy is tough, lots of stimulation, lots of noises, those situations are quite difficult.”

Hayman is now part of a group of former players taking legal action against world rugby for failing to protect them from brain injuries after getting fed up with rugby officials who still won’t accept the link to CTE and head knocks.

“There’s a lot more players out there suffering,” he said.

“I’m sticking my hand up because I believe it’s what’s right for rugby players in New Zealand and that, on the backend of hopefully this, that people will be able to get support.”

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