Striker sues over injury
Don Frame
24/ 6/2008
A FOOTBALLER whose career was ended by a horrific injury is suing the player who tackled him for £100,000.
Altrincham striker Marcus Hallows, 33, suffered an open fracture of his shin in the tackle by defender Danny White.
He almost died when his heart stopped after he was taken to hospital. He had to undergo two operations.
Now he is bringing a lawsuit for loss of earnings against Mr White and the team he played for, Ashton United.
Ashton say they are dismayed at the action and believe there is no case to answer. The club could be ruined if the court hearing goes against them.
Legal actions involving players who have suffered injury are not uncommon at top level, but are rare at amateur and semi-professional level.
Mr Hallows is claiming loss of earnings based on a career in semi-professional football until the age of 35. The case is expected to go to trial next year.
Roger Reade, chief executive of Manchester Football Association, said: "There have been a number of cases involving professional players, but at this level it probably doesn't happen very often."
A preliminary hearing at Manchester Civil Justice Centre heard Marcus's injuries had been so severe that he could not continue playing - he has since started a new career as an Elvis impersonator.
It is expected that a soccer expert will be called to give evidence about the tackle, in March 2005.
There was no video footage of the incident but witness and photographic evidence will be given to the court.
His solicitor Gareth Williams said the key question to be asked was whether there had been a significant risk of causing injury when the tackle was made.
Ashton United chairman Dave Aspinall said: "We simply don't agree that it was a malicious tackle.
"The person best placed to comment was the referee. There was no booking and neither the ref nor the linesman took any action at the time. In our view it was a collision and it was very unfortunate.
"Danny White is a real gentleman and not surprisingly most upset about what has happened. He's a hard player but an honest one and we're backing him all the way.
"This was just a tackle that went bad. It happens sometimes but there was nothing deliberate about it. We'll just have to see what the court makes of it now."
Mr Hallows, from Harwood, Bolton, was once a Bolton Wanderers reserve team player.
He had only been on the pitch a couple of minutes after being brought on as a substitute in the non-league match.
His club's physiotherapist said it was the worst injury he had seen. X-rays revealed that both the tibia and fibula bones in his right leg had been fractured.
