German hockey player sues player who caused his paralysis

There is no doubt that hockey is a brutal and dangerous sport, with each professional player bound to get injured during the course of their career. However, sometimes these harms go far beyond the expected risks of the game. This was the case for Rosenheim Starbulls forward Mike Glemser. During a game against the Riessersee SC in February of 2023, the German forward was slammed into the boards by Jan Niklas Pietsch. Mike Glemser immediately fell onto the ice, unable to move very much below his neck.

Mike Glemser spent months in the hospital, working on his recovery and physical therapy process. With his fourth and fifth vertebrae fractured, the player has remained paraplegic. He was released from the hospital in September with some regained motion in his shoulders, biceps, and left wrist. He was also fortunate enough to receive nearly 700k Euros in donations to help him and his partner forward despite this life-altering injury.

Now, more than a year and a half later, Mike Glemser has opened a lawsuit against Jan-Niklas Pietsch, the player who shoved him into the boards, causing his paralysis. He previously stated he did not believe it was the Riessersee player's fault, but in the absence of any other party to hold responsible, his lawyers took their case to Munich's second regional court, with the ask at over 800k in Euros. Despite the clear need for compensation to Mike Glemser, the defendant's lawyers stated that this could create a dangerous precedent for future hockey injuries.

There is no doubt that Mike Glemser's life has been changed forever, and he is certainly due proper insurance for his career-ending injury. Yet, Jan-Niklas Pietsch did not go out of his way to cause this, and ultimately just made an unlucky hit. Hopefully, this situation will create a new precedent for when a player's body is unintentionally damaged through no intentional fault of another player. Otherwise, the hockey world will be faced with at least one loser in every scenario, or every game will be so padded and contactless that there will be no fans left to watch.

Source: Blade of Steel
Hockey player launches lawsuit after being paralyzed during game