SmashMouth

The fact that Barkevious Mingo was spitting up blood on the Browns’ sideline Thursday night during a 24–6 preseason victory over the Lions served as a pretty good indication that the rookie linebacker had suffered a rather severe injury. According to Mary Kay Cabot of the Plain Dealer, even Mingo, who was diagnosed with a bruised lung, may not have been aware just how serious the situation was:

Had Mingo remained on the field during the game and taken another blow to the chest, he could’ve died, according to Dr. Clark Fuller, Director of Thoracic Surgery at Saint John’s Health Center in Santa Monica, Ca., who hasn’t treated Mingo. He said Mingo had already torn at least some small blood vessels, “and if you tear some larger ones, the chest cavity is an area where you could bleed to death and nobody ever sees a drop of blood on the ground.”
Cabot added that the estimated mortality rate for an injury such as Mingo’s is 14 to 40 percent.

“We’re just happy it’s not a career- or season-ending injury,” defensive coordinator Ray Horton told Cabot. “But they’re all serious when they miss playing time.”

San Diego’s Eddie Royal also bruised a lung this week, after hitting the ground hard while trying to make a catch in practice on Saturday. Royal received oxygen on the field while an ambulance and multiple fire trucks sped to the Chargers’ practice facility to tend to him. He was moved to a local hospital as a precaution.

Barkevious Mingo reportedly 'could've died' due to injury sustained vs. Lions | Audibles - SI.com

Mardigras9

Scary injuries there.

Just more ammo for Goodell to have all players wrapped in bubble wrap on the field.

SaintsBro

Only problem is, the doctor who is saying all this is not the guy who treated Mingo.

"Had Mingo remained on the field during the game and taken another blow to the chest, he could’ve died, according to Dr. Clark Fuller, Director of Thoracic Surgery at Saint John’s Health Center in Santa Monica, Ca., who hasn’t treated Mingo."

Injuries are serious. Any injury is cause for concern. But I'm not sure if the opinion of a guy who wasn't even in the room with the patient can be regarded as definitive. If the mortality rate for an "injury such as Mingo’s" was truly 14 to 40 percent, there would be a LOT more dead football players on the sidelines of pro and college and high school games. I think if somebody stays in the game and continues to experience collisions with a serious lung injury like that, that's certainly asking for trouble. But to claim it's a 40% chance of fatality, right off the bat, is probably.... stretching it a little bit.

The other things that can cause bruised lungs -- impacts, falls, collisions, accidents, being hit by a car etc -- which I'm sure this doctor is basing that number on, emergency room type stuff -- those things typically happen at much faster velocities and involve people who aren't wearing pads.

Still it's a scary injury, no doubt.