How did Darryl Stingley get paralyzed? A look at tragic incident during Raiders vs Patriots game in 1978

During an exhibition match in 1978, New England Patriots wide receiver Darryl Stingley clashed with Oakland Raiders defensive back Jack Tatum while attempting to grab a pass. Tatum hit the receiver to intercept the pass as Stingley was reaching out to catch it.

Following the blow, Stingley fell to the ground and lost consciousness. The players in his immediate vicinity noticed that he was unconscious and promptly summoned the training staff, who quickly arrived on the field carrying a stretcher.

Stingly was taken off the arena in an ambulance, his head restrained by a supporting brace and fastened on the stretcher.

Since the contact did not violate any NFL regulations at the time of the hit, there was no foul play called on the incident. But the league did go on to change the laws, prohibiting violent plays, in part because of Stingley's injury.

Tatum, the player who hit Stingley, was known in the league at the time, for his vicious hits. He was even referred to as "the assassin" because of his playing style.

That injury altered Stingley's life permanently. His fourth and fifth cervical vertebrae had snapped, resulting in a compressed spinal cord that would condemn him to a wheelchair for the rest of his life.

Stingley first lost the ability to move any of his four limbs, but with time, he was able to restore some degree of function in his right arm, which allowed him to independently maneuver his motorized wheelchair.

"I have relived that moment over and over again," Stingley stated in an interview with The Associated Press, 10 years after the incident. "At the time, I was 26 years old, and I recall wondering what would become of me. Then there were all of those whys.

"It was only after I stopped asking why, that I was capable of getting back together and moving on with my life."

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Darryl Stingley died in 2007, aged 55

Darryl Stingley was paralyzed in a hit in 1978 and lived nearly thirty years of his life in a wheelchair.

It wasn't until April 2007, at the age of 55, that Stingley's severe injuries finally claimed his life. He was discovered unconscious at his Chicago residence and was later declared dead at Northwestern Memorial Hospital.

The medical examiner's office declared after an autopsy that bronchial pneumonia, quadriplegia, spinal cord damage and coronary atherosclerosis were the main reasons for Stingley's death. Martine, his wife, and their three boys, Hank, John and Derek, survived Stingley.