RAUL JIMENEZ was rushed to a major trauma centre after being knocked out cold in a sickening clash of heads with David Luiz.
The Mexican striker needed lengthy treatment on the pitch after a collision in the early stages of Wolves’ 2-1 win over Arsenal.
Raul Jiminez was rushed to a major trauma centre after being knocked out in a sickening clash with David LuizCredit: PA:Press Association
Jimenez was left needing oxygen on the pitch following a clash of headsCredit: AP:Associated Press
Jimenez received treatment from club doctors and paramedics, including receiving oxygen on the pitch, after being knocked unconscious from the collision.
He was then carried off on a stretcher before being rushed to hospital in an ambulance.
However, rather than go to the nearest A&E ward, he was taken to a major trauma centre.
A London Ambulance Service spokesperson said: “We were called at 7:27pm today (29 November) to reports of a person injured at Emirates Stadium on Queensland Road, Holloway.
“We sent an ambulance crew, an advanced paramedic, an incident response officer and a medic in car to the scene. We also dispatched London’s Air Ambulance by car.
“We treated a man at the scene and took him to a major trauma centre.”
David Luiz received a heavy bandage before he was subbed off at half-timeCredit: PA:Press Association
Thankfully, it was later confirmed that Jimenez was conscious in hospital and responding to treatment.
After full-time, Wolves wrote on social media: “Raul’s head injury is being assessed with a scan at a London hospital.
“We will continue to update with more information as soon as we have it.”
Wolves boss Nuno Espirito Santo added: “Raul Jimenez is doing a scan now. He’s conscious. He’s OK inside the gravity of the problem.”
He then described his emotions when it happened: “You start hearing code red. It’s serious. It was a bad moment for everybody. You see panic in their [medical staff] eyes and you start thinking how is he? We are worried.
“He speaks, he’s aware. We have to have a proper assessment. He’s in good hands.”
Wolves captain Conor Coady said: “When it happened it was something you knew straight away, and we hope David Luiz is OK as well. It was a horrible clash of heads.
“I jumped with them and you heard it, and as they dropped obviously he was on his side and it was important that we kept him on his side.
“He’s in the hospital and by all accounts he’s awake and breathing and that’s the one thing we’re looking at.
“People’s health and heads and bodies come at the forefront in these situations.
“He’s with the right people and we just hope and pray that everything’s OK because he’s the one we’re thinking about right now.
“It’s a fantastic result but the one thing that matters is that Raul and David Luiz are both OK.”
Wolves celebrate an impressive win over ArsenalCredit: AFP or licensors
Jimenez later regained consciousness and was responding to treatment in a specialist head injury unit to allay fears of a repeat of the horror injury suffered by Ryan Mason in 2017.
Mason’s career was ended after he suffered a fractured skull in an almost identical clash of heads, on that occasion with Chelsea defender Gary Cahill.
Having suffered a concussion, the very least means Jimenez will not be allowed to even return to training for a week – seeing him miss out on the trip to Liverpool on Sunday.
While the Wolves star was rushed away from the ground, Arsenal ace Luiz amazingly continued playing with the club insisting concussion protocols were properly followed.
The 33-year-old was left with blood seeping from a gash and took three minutes to rise from laying flat-out after the horror collision.
But he was patched up with a bandage and allowed to resume play – even though blood continued to seep from his wound.
Luiz looked out of sorts for the remainder of the half and was still bleeding at half-time, when medics decided he should no longer continue.
That raised concerns about whether he was fit enough to play in the first place, but the Gunners insist precautions were followed to the book.
That would have meant club doctor Gary O’Driscoll having the final say on whether the former Chelsea star would have been fit to play on.
O’Driscoll is regarded as one of the country’s leading consultants in concussion in sport.
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Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
