Ice hockey player's inquest told of 'chaotic scene'

Paramedics who responded to the fatal neck injury suffered by ice hockey player Adam Johnson during a league match described a "chaotic scene", a coroner has said.

Johnson was playing for the Nottingham Panthers against Sheffield Steelers in October 2023 when he was hit in the neck by the skate of opposing player Matt Petgrave.

The 29-year-old American died in hospital following the incident during the Elite League fixture at Sheffield Arena.

Speaking at a pre-inquest review into his death, Sheffield's senior coroner Tanyka Rawden said the player's death "must have been horrific" for his family.

During the hearing on Monday, Rawden said evidence from the Yorkshire Ambulance Service paramedics painted a picture of a "chaotic scene at the arena".

She told the hearing she had "a lot of questions about how Yorkshire Ambulance Service accessed the ice".

She said there was evidence from one paramedic that they had to climb over the barriers "because nobody could show them on to the ice".

Rawden said she also had questions about the availability of blood to the attending paramedics.

Johnson's mother, Sue Johnson, and his fiancee Ryan Wolfe were among family members who joined the hearing on a video-link from the US.

Addressing the family, Rawden said: "I'm sorry that we are meeting in these circumstances.

"I cannot imagine what life has been like for all of you since Adam died. It must have been horrific for all of you."

Last year, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) decided it would not bring criminal charges against the Canadian ice hockey player Petgrave.

On Monday, his barrister, Michael Hayton KC, told the hearing his client is currently in Canada.

The coroner said she was currently planning to call Petgrave and nine other players from the match to give evidence, but added this was under review. She was told none of these players are currently in the UK.

Rawden said it was unlikely the inquest into Johnson's death would take place this year.

"I understand how difficult this is for Adam's family," she said.

The court heard the inquest is currently expected to last between four and six weeks.

The coroner said she would decide at a later date on whether the inquest needs to be moved from Sheffield and, also, whether the jury would benefit from a visit to the arena.

Rawden decided the scope of the inquest would focus on the cause of the injury, the medical provision at the arena, and the "timeliness and appropriateness" of the medical care provided to Johnson.

The coroner has already issued a prevention of future deaths report to Ice Hockey UK and the English Ice Hockey Association about the use of neck guards in the sport.

In the report, the coroner said she was "sufficiently concerned that deaths may occur in the future if neck guards or protectors are not worn", with the bodies given 56 days to say what action had been taken - or why action had not been taken.

Neck guards have been mandatory in the Elite League, in which the Nottingham Panthers and Sheffield Steelers compete, since 1 January 2024.

A provisional date for another pre-inquest review was set for 29 October.