‘My mind spun to the worst-case scenario’: Hilton Cartwright opens up about freak BBL injury which left him in a neck brace

Hilton Cartwright has opened up on the scary thoughts that went through his head after he was sent to hospital in a neck brace following a freak injury in the field.

Hilton Cartwright has opened up on the freak injury that left him hospitalised and fearing he’d spend the next few months in a neck brace while looking after his newborn son following an awkward landing in the BBL opener on December 15.

The Stars veteran is one of the best fielders in the competition and did a brilliant job to chase down a shot at Optus Stadium where he dived to his left in an attempt to save a boundary.

You could tell immediately that something had gone horribly wrong, with medical staff spending five minutes assessing Cartwright before they carefully took him from the field on a medi-cab with his neck in a brace.

The former Test all-rounder spent the night in hospital but was quickly cleared of any structural damage which was a huge relief to his young family given he and his partner had welcomed their second child in October.

Hilton Cartwright was cleared of a neck injury following a scary incident in the field. Picture: Paul Kane/Getty Images

“It was an extraordinary series of events,” he said following the Stars’ loss to the Sixers on Boxing Day.

“It looked worse because there was no information surrounding it.

“My neck pain had subsided quite a lot by the time I was on the sidelines, it was all on one side. Needless to say the doctors did a great job with how they handled it.

“(You need to take) a huge amount of precautions around neck issues. I got to the hospital and everything got cleared really quickly which was nice.

“But my mind spun to the worst-case scenario about being paralysed, or strokes. My mind went completely spinning. But thankfully I was home that night and I haven’t had any serious repercussions from it.

“As soon as all that pain subsided I started thinking around all the short-term side effects. Am I going to be in a neck brace for a couple of months while we have a newborn? It would not only be tough on me, but tough on my partner.

“Thankfully everything got cleared and there were no issues. So far so good.”

After initial fears that he could miss the rest of the BBL, Cartwright incredibly played just three days later for the Stars in their loss to the Heat.

Cartwright returned for the Stars just three days after his stint in hospital. Picture: Izhar Khan/Getty Images

You’d think someone would be scarred by the trauma of being carted off the field just 72 hours earlier, but not Cartwright who was diving around in the field like nothing had happened.

“No (I wasn’t hesitant) but only because I was like ‘whatever will be, will be’,” he said.

“In hindsight it was a very freak thing that happened. It could be famous last words, ‘whatever will be, will be’. I could go for a dive and it happens again but worse.

“But I figure it was a freak accident. I got the all clear, and trusting the medical side and the scientific side of things has given me that clearance.

“So I am just going to go out there and do my thing, and if it happens on the cricket field, so be it.”

Cartwright will be in action again on Saturday when the Stars face the Thunder, with Melbourne having to win their remaining six matches following a tough loss at the SCG where James Vince made a hefty run chase look simple with an unbeaten ton.

Originally published as ‘My mind spun to the worst-case scenario’: Hilton Cartwright opens up about freak BBL injury which left him in a neck brace