Recent deaths
The lacrosse community has suffered several heartbreaking tragedies in recent years.
In May 2025, Ohio high school player Dylan Veselic died after suffering a blunt-force craniocervical injury during a game. Reports indicate the impact occurred at the base of the skull, below the helmet.
This week, Mercer Island player Eliot Abramson also lost his life after being struck in the area just below the helmet during a recruiting event.
Many Canadian lacrosse families will also remember Hayden Yerbury, who survived a devastating injury that caused massive brain swelling and required emergency neurosurgery.
While the circumstances of each injury are different, they all raise an important question:
Why is one of the most vulnerable areas of the body—the craniocervical junction at the back of the head and upper neck—largely exposed in modern lacrosse helmet designs?
I am not suggesting that any manufacturer is responsible for these tragedies. However, I believe the lacrosse community, equipment manufacturers, governing bodies, medical experts, and engineers should be examining whether additional protection for this area could reduce the risk of catastrophic injuries.
If we can improve shoulder pads, chest protectors, facemasks, and concussion protection, we should also be willing to explore innovations that better protect the area where the skull meets the neck.
No piece of equipment can eliminate risk entirely, but if research and design improvements can help prevent even one family from experiencing this kind of loss, then the conversation is worth having.
Player safety should never stop evolving.