Dementia-hit All Blacks star, 43, is flown to hospital by helicopter after bicycle crash leaves him ‘seriously injured and confused’
Former All Blacks star Carl Hayman has been left ‘seriously injured’ in a cycling accident in New Zealand.
The 43-year-old fell off his bike in Mangawhai Heads in New Zealand’s Northland region on Tuesday morning and was taken to Whangārei Hospital, where he arrived in a ‘serious condition’.
The rescue helicopter pilot who flew Hayman to the hospital told New Zealand’s news website Stuff he found the former All Blacks in a ‘confused after falling off his bike’.
A family member confirmed to the news outlet that Hayman broke his collarbone after falling off his bike but was ‘recovering well’.
In 2021, Hayman was told he had early onset dementia and probable chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) and joined a list of hundreds of former players in receiving the same diagnosis.
Carl Hayman suffered a broken collarbone in a biking accident in New Zealand
The 43-year-old won 45 caps for the All Blacks between 2001 and 2007 and was diagnosed with early onset dementia in 2021
Follow MailSport on Threads here: https://www.threads.net/@mailsport
A powerful prop, Hayman represented the All Blacks 45 times between 2001 and 2007 and played 68 games for Otago and 81 for the Highlanders over nine seasons.
In 2007, he moved to England, where he spent three years with Newcastle before joining a stellar cast of players at Toulon three years later.
In five seasons in France, Hayman made 156 appearances for the Top 14 giants and won three consecutive European Cups between 2013 and 2015, with the latter triumph serving as his swansong from professional rugby.
Speaking to Mail Sport in January, the former All Blacks revealed the effects of his debilitating condition.
‘The scary thing for me is if I look back on the last couple of years, I can feel it [dementia] getting a grip and affecting me more and more,’ he said.
‘We just don’t know what the future is going to look like so we try to stay in the now and not worry too much. Some days it turns to custard and it’s pretty c***.’
Asked to describe the issues he faces on a daily basis, he said: ‘It’s sleep deprivation, sleep disorder and constant headaches – my head is full of pressure. […]
‘I’ll go into the kitchen and not know why I was going in there.
‘Sometimes I drive places, go straight past the turn off, and then have to retrace my steps.
‘Anxiety and depression have been other problems. I’ve never been an anxious person. I’ve always been pretty chilled and happy go lucky.
Hayman (middle) won three consecutive European Cups with Toulon between 2013 and 2015
Hayman told Mail Sport in January his condition was taking a heavy toll in his daily life
‘I’ve now found myself struggling with mental illness and unable to stay focused on tasks.’
Hayman is far from an isolated case when it comes to former rugby players suffering from dementia and CTE, but he admitted he struggled to come to terms with the diagnosis.
‘I haven’t really accepted it yet. I’m a bit of a stubborn b***** and that probably comes from my rugby career,’ he explained.
‘Now it’s about accepting what a successful day is for me.
Follow MailSport on Threads here: https://www.threads.net/@mailsport
***
Read more at DailyMail.co.uk