BY SUE MacDONALD and EARNEST WINSTON
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Thomas More College junior Adam Collinsworth remained in critical condition Monday after sustaining head and spinal injuries when he hit his head on the bottom of a swimming pool over the weekend. The incident apparently occurred Saturday at a friend's house, when he dived into a shallow area. Mr. Collinsworth, who plays football for Thomas More, underwent surgery at University Hospital.
His father, Edgar Collinsworth, declined comment, a hospital spokeswoman said. Mr. Collinsworth spent time at the hospital Monday with his son. The family requested that the hospital not release any information regarding the incident.
An injury to the spinal cord is like cutting the body's major communication network. When nerves cannot pass information to the brain because of a broken or fractured spine, partial or complete paralysis can set in anywhere below the site of the injury. Muscles cannot move.
And diving is a major cause of spinal cord injury, according to Cincinnati experts.
"Shallow-water diving is the fourth-leading cause of cervical spinal cord injuries in the United States," said Dr. John Tew, director of neurosurgery at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center and director of its Neuroscience Institute.
According to the National Spinal Cord Injury Research Center, 98 percent of diving accidents result in complete or partial paralysis. Those most likely to suffer from swimming or diving accidents are young adult men, said Carollee Ochsner, coordinator of water safety for Cincinnati American Red Cross.
Vic Clark, athletic director and head football coach at Thomas More, could not be reached for comment.
