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Canadian rugby player suffers traumatic brain injury in Bali car crash

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Ireland's Conor Phillips tackles Canada's Nick Allen during HSBC Canada Sevens quarter finals rugby action, in Edmonton, on Sunday, Sept. 26, 2021. Canadian rugby player Allen was hospitalized in Indonesia with a traumatic brain injury after a car crash last week in Bali, Rugby Canada said.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson

DENPASAR, Indonesia — Canadian rugby player Nick Allen was hospitalized in Indonesia with a traumatic brain injury after a car crash last week in Bali, Rugby Canada said.

Allen, 26, who played for the national sevens team over the last two seasons and represented Canada at the Commonwealth Games last summer, was hurt on Nov. 7, the federation said on Instagram.

Emergency surgery was required after Allen suffered severe injuries to his head, shoulder and forearm, Rugby Canada said. The slow process of Allen "being woken" from a medically induced coma had started, according to the post on Saturday.

There was no immediate word on the cause of the crash or how long the recovery process might take. A message left with Rugby Canada was not immediately returned.

A GoFundMe page set up by friends and family to pay for Allen's medical bills had raised over $151,000 of its $200,000 goal as of Monday afternoon.

Allen, a six-foot-four 230-pound back row from West Vancouver, B.C., played at the university level for the UBC Thunderbirds from 2015-20.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 14, 2022.

The Canadian Press

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