Quadriplegic rugby player sues for injury compensation
Young Hong Kong athlete wants damages for accident which made him a quadriplegic
In two High Court writs, lawyers for Benjamin Kende claim the board and the union should compensate him for the injuries he suffered during an accident which took place at the Asian Junior Championships on August 22, 2010, in Bangkok, Thailand.
The Hong Kong-born Australian was playing for the Hong Kong under-20s team at the championships. The game was organised and managed by the board and the union, the writs said. They said the accident arose out of the negligence or breach of duty of the board and union or their servant and agents.
Details of the incident are not provided in the court documents. Kende is claiming an unspecified amount of damages for the accident and subsequent medical treatments.
The accident took place five minutes into the first game of the championships when an opponent fell onto Kende's neck. Kende was diagnosed as having "sudden quadriplegia".
Jennifer Kende, Kende's mother, confirmed that her son suffered a spinal cord injury and was now adjusting to life as a quadriplegic with limited use of his arms and no use of his legs.
According to the website of the Ben Kende Foundation which was created by his friends and teachers in 2011, Kende was born and raised in Hong Kong and was an all-round sportsman.
