Brazilian Soccer Player Neto Wakes From Coma
A plane carrying the Brazilian soccer team Chapecoense crashed in the northern hills of Colombia on November 28. The plane crash killed 71 people, including 19 players from the professional soccer team. Neto, a player who is one of only six survivors, has no recollection of the event.
Norberto Murara, known by his fans just as Neto, awoke from his drug induced coma nine days after the initial crash. The player’s first questions after waking up were about the results of the tournament his team was supposed to play in and why he wasn’t able to play. The player didn’t know why he was in the hospital or where the rest of his teammates were. Doctors told the press he had no idea about the fatalities that occurred during the crash.
Even though his two surviving teammates, Alan Ruschel and Jackson Follmann, have returned to Brazil, Neto is still being held in the hospital on request by both doctors and psychologists. His doctors state that they are keeping information about the crash away from him to first order to ensure he is healthy and stable enough to handle it. The information could cause both his mind and body to go into a state of shock or give him symptoms of PTSD, which will deter him from having a speedy recovery.
Doctor Carlos Mendoca reported to the press, “It’s a recommendation from the psychologist not to tell him [on the plane crash] just yet to avoid any emotional shock that would be potentially damaging for his clinical recovery at this moment. So we should follow this qualified opinion for now.”
The causes of the crash are still being investigated, but experts say the plane only had enough fuel to reach its destination, with no extra. Air traffic controls, as well as control audio heard the pilots of the plane discussing “fuel problems,” and “total failure” before the crash of the plane.
The pilots choose to ignore a scheduled refueling stop earlier in their flight, according to the government of Colombia. The plane also incurred damages before its downward spiral. The tail of the plane was ripped off after colliding with the top of a mountain as it approached José María Córdova International Airport in Rionegro, Colombia.
The main issue is how unprepared the crew was for this crash. Brazilian radio journalist and reporter Rafael Henzel, who was on the plane, told the press that no one on board was told how to brace for the crash or to prepare for turbulence.
Henzel stated, “At no point did someone from the cabin or the crew tell us, ‘Put on your seatbelts. We just kept flying without any idea of what was about to happen.’”
It is said that Neto will be told about the crash in the next couple of weeks. But no one, not even psychologists, can predict how hard he will take the news. Neto’s survival is a blessing, even though his entire team died due to the lack of knowledge of the crew.
