A New Zealand teenager has died after suffering a serious head injury during a private game of ‘run it straight’.
The viral collision sport involves two opponents running at full speed toward each other. One person is often left flattened and commonly knocked out.
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The 19-year-old was critically injured while playing the high-contact game with mates on Sunday and passed away on Monday night.
NZ Police say while this was an impromptu game among friends that wasn’t planned or officially organised and won’t be treated as a criminal matter, the teen’s death highlights the inherent safety concerns of the game.
The Briefing did a deep dive looking into run it straight earlier this month and neuroscientist Dr Alan Pearce warned that a death like this was something that was only a matter of time.
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