John Mack, Binghamton High School player dies [Archive]

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Woodenstick

11-30-2006, 01:01 PM

In a terrible tragedy, John Mack, a player on the Binghamton New York High School lacrosse team, has died from a check to the chest area during an indoor scrimmage. Apparently his heart stopped and he could not be revived in time to prevent brain death. Please offer a prayer for John and his family.

John was a fine young man who loved the game. Jimmie Mack, John's father, is very well known in New York and grandmaster lacrosse circles.

An article from the Binghamton paper stated:

Thursday November 30, 2006
Injured teen remains listed in critical condition

Lacrosse player John R. Mack, 17, of Binghamton, remained listed in critical condition this morning at Wilson Regional Medical Center in Johnson City , two days after being injured in a scrimmage with players from Vestal.

About 50 Binghamton High School students held a candelight vigil last night outside his hospital room. Mack was knocked unconscious and stopped breathing following a hard non-malicious body check during a scrimmage Tuesday evening, state police said.

State police said Mack passed out and fell to the field after taking the body check in the chest area. When reached, he was found not to be breathing. Investigators said CPR was immediately initiated by people in the grandstand area and continued by an ambulance squad on the way to the hospital.

The incident was reported to state police at 8:43 p.m. Tuesday evening during what state police termed a scrimmage between players from the Binghamton and Vestal areas at the Sports Complex on Robinson Hill Road in the Town of Union.

Eclipse

11-30-2006, 01:23 PM

2 laxers in the last week. RIP buddy.

OldGoalie

11-30-2006, 01:49 PM

Brad51992

11-30-2006, 02:08 PM

yah i live in the Johnson city area and its so bad to see that happen in such a growing sport, i feel bad for him.

IHS'76

11-30-2006, 02:15 PM

I know I speak for all Grand Masters that our prayers are with Jimmy Mack and his family.

LaxDman62

11-30-2006, 02:17 PM

Thats sad and shoe how dangerous lax can be. He must have gotten the helmet to his chest.

OldGoalie

11-30-2006, 02:45 PM

Thats sad and shoe how dangerous lax can be. He must have gotten the helmet to his chest.

The story I linked to says it was a stick to the chest. And worse still was the fact that he was wearing a chest protector.

vtownlax14

11-30-2006, 02:48 PM

I am member of Vestal lacrosse and many of my friends were playing in the game when John was injured. I also play on a travel team with players who have played with John for years. Everybody at the game agrees that the hit was a clean one and nobody could have expected the result that has occured. As soon as members of my schools team heard that he had passed, word immediatly went around that his initials would be sported on our helmets to pay respect. Our prayers go out to his family.

Live4It

11-30-2006, 02:51 PM

This is really a sad week for the sport of lacrosse... my prayers go out to him and his family, RIP John Mack.

bethsc

11-30-2006, 03:03 PM

Oh man...not another commotio cordis victim. This is heart-wrenching (sorry for the pun.) I really hope someone picks up the ball on developing chest protection that can actually prevent this...

Here's another link:
http://www.wstm.com/Global/story.asp?S=5750963&nav=2aKD
You are absolutely correct! Forget the macho non protective pads that have about as much strength as a wet diaper. A person lost his life, and the wakeup call should go out to all lax companies who do the design and the selling of their products. Yes, Lax is a physical sport but it shouldn't be life threathing. RIP! My prayers to the family and please also remember Louis Acomporo from Northport, NY.

goalieman3

11-30-2006, 03:08 PM

I'm up in Binghamton often, thats sad to hear, cause the sport is spreading quickly there

MaddxLax

11-30-2006, 08:38 PM

thats really sad....no words to describe how horrible something like this is really. i feel bad for his family, but imagine how hard that is to live with for the player who did that to him.

Eclipse

11-30-2006, 08:59 PM

seeing this thread right above the "Hofstra player passes away thread" makes my stomach churn.

EHSLAX12

12-01-2006, 10:33 AM

/\ya i agree, but this was a different case of commotio cordis than the other case from umbc. this was a routine stick check where the head just passed through and hit the chest...its scary to think something like that could happen. this is a dangerous sport, and i think some manufacturers might start making padding with a kind of protective area around the central chest...
shockdoctor sps are proven to be the most padded, as pertaining to central neck and chest. i think more companies will start to make pads with some kind of protection there because something has to be done to help prevent this.

rjattack19

12-01-2006, 11:20 AM

wow thats really sad to hear. this kind of thing is becoming more and more frequent. my prayers go out to him and all his family and friends/teammates. i feel really bad for the kid that hit him, thats gotta be hard to live with. R.I.P John Mack

spklax11

12-01-2006, 03:34 PM

yea my dad played on the philadelphia grandmasters team with jimmie mack hes a really nice guy. i cant imagine what there going through
R.I.P

DutchyLacrosse

12-01-2006, 03:37 PM

R.I.P John.. you have my utmost respect and condolances..

clegname

12-12-2006, 08:32 AM

gfkeeper28

12-12-2006, 09:31 PM

That is horrible. I can imagine that the opposing player who hit him must feel absolutely horrible as well. Just awful.
Yeah, it's terrible that John Mack died. But God, I can't imagine what the kid who checked him must be going through. He'll probably needs as much support as the family in the wake of this tragic accident.

IHS'76

12-13-2006, 01:14 PM

When the young man at Cornell died a few years ago. I called a buddy of mine at GraphTex Sports. I asked had him to send me the best pair of shoulder pads with a chest plate that he had. My son is a defenseman and he wore them at first. He stopped wearing them because he said they restricted him too much.
When Jimmy Mack's boy passed away I sat my son down and pleaded with him to please wear the protective pads I bought for him. I told him about what happened and he just didn't get it. He may not care or is too "macho" to wear them. But he has to think of me, his mom, his brothers, sister, etc. The pain Jimmy Mack is feeling I can not comprehend. He lost a son and I don't want it to happen another kid, anywhere, at any time again. We need to educate our kids about this and have their coaches inforce the equipment rules or they don't play. No game or record is worth the pain of losing a child.
I'm rambling now, so I'll stop. God bless JM and his family.

OldGoalie

12-19-2006, 02:11 PM

Hi everyone,
John Mack is a cousin of mine. I did not know him well, but his mother is my Godmother, and I feel for her and the rest of the family. I noticed that some of you mentioned that he was wearing protective gear that did not sufficiently protect him. I was thinking of writing a letter to several of the manufacturers about his story in an effort to perhaps get them to rethink the safety and design of their equipment. Does anyone have any information regarding who I should contact? Also, perhaps some of you, as players, could do the same. Any information is very much appreciated.
Thanks,
Christine

you can contact the Acomporas. See their website:

www.la12.org

They are very well connected in research into Commotio Cordis, biomechanical models on what causes it and how it can be prevented. I have e-mailed a couple of the manufacturers, and none of them, at least from their e-mails, have been doing any research into prevention of CC to date. Largely because no NOCSAE standard exists. The Acompora foundation is helping fund some research by Dr. Mark Link (Tufts) to develop a standard.

niefdawg

12-27-2006, 12:27 PM

Being a Lacrosse enthusiast, I was shocked and saddenned to hear about John Mack, the lacrosse player in Binghamton, NY who died. Is there any type of new chest protection out on the market? Most of what I found has velcro, straps, or is just plain bulky

i live 4 lax

12-27-2006, 03:04 PM

god... that really sucks for his family, and the poor kid. that must have been one BA cross check tho...

marflax33

12-27-2006, 03:52 PM

god... that really sucks for his family, and the poor kid. that must have been one BA cross check tho...

Probably not. CC does not require a hard hit to do its damage, it just needs to put pressure on the heart between beats, or something close to that, I'm not sure specifically how it happens. Instant Cardiac Arrest... No good at all.