Two Surfers At The Pipe QS Suffered Head Injuries That Required Medical Attention
“Don’t worry about being the cool guy, worry about coming home safe to your family” – Kekoa Cazimero
Kekoa Cazimero and Finn McGill both suffered head injuries during the HIC Pipe Pro.
20-year-old Finn McGill qualified for the quarters after jagging the only decent score in his round of 32 heat. However, Finn, a former winner of the Pipe Pro was forced to withdraw from the quarterfinals after he made it back to land with hallmark concussion symptoms.
“I’m super bummed to have to pull out of the event today after winning my heat this morning. On my first wave, I hit my head hard and didn’t feel much because I had so much adrenaline, but after my heat, my eyesight started getting blurry and I had a really bad headache and started vomiting,” said Finn per his last IG post.
The second surfer who suffered a head knock was Kekoa Cazimero.
Kekoa was cleared from having concussion syndrome but still is presenting with a nice apple-sized hematoma under his forehead. This is the second time Kekoa has suffered a head injury after colliding with his board in the 2017 Volcom Pipe Pro.
“I think this was the eye-opener I needed to go and buy a helmet. I got home and looked at my fiancee who was not too stoked to see that I was bleeding out of my head again for the third time in the past year,” says Kekoa.
“It’s opened my eyes that I’m being selfish to my family & friends that depend on me. I can’t put my fiancée through any more bloody shenanigans or hospital visits moving forward. Be safe and come home to your family because at the end of the day that’s what matters most.”
Wearing a helmet at Pipe seems like a no-brainer (no pun intended). You can read about Owen Wright and Evan Geiselman’s stories here.
In Jed Smith’s article published back in July, Brain Injuries Are Surfing’s Sleeping Giant, Smivvy laid out the brain-injury facts in extensive detail.
We index pretty high on brain injury stories, largely due to their prevalence in the sport, and the severity of the consequences they can have on our long-term health. You can read a great recount of Mikey Ciaramella’s brain injury experience in A Surf Accident, A Seizure, And A Shift In One Stab Writer’s Mind.
It should come as no surprise that it was Mikey who suggested the Simba surf helmet for Stab’s Holiday Gift Guide. A gift, your brain will be forever thankful for.
You can also read about Tom Carroll, Nathan Fletcher, Keala Kennelly, Albee Layer, Evan Geiselman, Owen Wright, Koa Smith, Al Cleland Jr., Kauli Vaast, and Parker Coffin, and others who started wearing helmets here.
We are wishing Kekoa and Finn a speedy recovery.
