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It sounds like the kinds of injuries suffered by someone in a car crash.”“(I had) fractured the base of my skull (and that) perforated some linings, which resulted in my brain fluid leaking through my right ear,” Zac Stanton told 7NEWS.com.au.
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“The fracture also severed the nerve which goes to my ear, which resulted in permanent hearing loss.
“The impact damaged my vestibular system on the right side.”
Stanton was playing in an AFLQ match for Brisbane club Wilston Grange in 2021 when he collided head-first with a player from the opposing team Redland-Victoria Point.
It had been a courageous defensive effort to attempt to intercept a kick inside the opposition’s attacking 50m.
Zac Stanton played for Brisbane club Wilston Grange in the AFLQ. Credit: Supplied
The then 25-year-old remained prone on the ground and started bleeding from an ear.
He briefly sat up but was stretchered off, before being taken to the nearby Redland Hospital.
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Upon arrival at the hospital, the decision was made to take him straight to the Princess Alexandra Hospital in Brisbane. He remained there for 10 days.
His recovery has been ongoing and is set to continue for years — perhaps the rest of his life.
The impacts of his injuries include deafness in his right ear, headaches and tiredness, while the damage to his vestibular system — which gives humans a sense of balance — makes day-to-day life challenging.
“Just generally, balance isn’t as good as it used to be. But I’m also trying to improve that,” he said.
“I have to be a lot more careful in everything I do.
“So effectively, because of the vestibular damage as well, my eyes don’t know when my head’s moving.
“I do some running to try and rehab and get my eyes used to it. I can’t move my head and keep my eyes focused on a target.
“So when I’m running, my eyes are just bouncing everywhere.”
Stanton spent 10 days in the PA Hospital after suffering bleeding from his ear. Credit: Supplied
Stanton also does exercises given to him by a head injury expert he travels to Melbourne to see once a month.
There has been a significant financial burden related to the ordeal, including for the ongoing medical appointments and trips to Melbourne, as well as income lost due to his inability to work full-time.
The insurance policy in place for Stanton’s competition, which he paid for, does not cover the long-term impacts of head injuries.
He has only been given payments through the policy for the hearing loss.
“To find out your barely covered, it’s not good and something that needs to be looked at,” he said.
Stanton was felled in the collision inside his defensive 50m. Credit: AFLQ
He has urged amateur contact sports players to be aware of the extent of their insurance coverage for head injuries.
A GoFundMe has been set up to support his ongoing recovery.
AFLQ says the league’s insurance policy aims to strike a “balance … between quality insurance coverage available in the market and the sustainability of such cover for community football organisations and participants”.
“Benefit payments through the insurance program have been made,” AFLQ said in a statement.
“This program is reviewed on an annual basis with the support of the insurance broker appointed on behalf of AFLQ.”
Stanton is continuing to recovery but requires regular medical appointments. Credit: Supplied
The body also acknowledged that the AFL in March released a strategic plan for addressing head injuries, which includes “working to consider options for the introduction of an expanded financial assistance scheme for former AFL and AFLW players who suffered a serious injury with long-term consequences and financial need”.
The insurance company that provides the policy, AHI, said Stanton has been “provided all support that could have been reasonably provided under the circumstances in dealing with his claim as fairly and efficiently as possible within the scope of coverage taken out at the time”.
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