Footballer injured falling out of cherry tree

Wed Jun 22 03:01PM

Kaiserslautern striker Adam Nemec will be out of the game for three months after falling out of a cherry tree at his home.

The 25-year-old Slovak needed surgery after breaking his collarbone, smashing two ribs and suffering a concussion after toppling out of the tree in his garden on Monday evening.

"He underwent surgery for the broken collarbone. According to the doctors if his recovery is problem-free then he can return to team training in about three months," the club said in a statement.

Nemec's mishap isn't the first bizarre injury to befall a sporting star, however: he joins a long and distinguished list of those who have ended up on the sidelines thanks to off-pitch mishaps.

We take a look back at the top 10.

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Liam Lawrence

The Irish winger (left) fell over his pet labrador, going over on his ankle and ending up tumbling down the stairs. Quite how he didn't see a labrador is up for debate, but he missed a Premier League match for Stoke and an international game for Ireland. "The dog's fine," he confirmed afterwards. "I could have killed him at the time, but he's intact."

It wasn't the first dog-related injury in sport: Kim Clijsters once injured her tailbone after tripping over her dog, while Wales international Darren Barnard was out of the game for five months after slipping in his puppy's poo on the kitchen floor.

Colin Smart tricked into downing bottle of aftershave

England's rugby squad were in buoyant mood following their 1982 Five Nations victory against France in Paris. Leading the revelry was forward Maurice Colclough, who pretended to drink a bottle of aftershave in front of his team-mates - but Colclough had cleverly substituted the aftershave for water.

Colin Smart was incredibly impressed by what he thought was the bravest act of his rugby career, and proceeded to mimic Colcough. The only problem was that he drank a real bottle of aftershave, and was rushed to hospital to have his stomach pumped.

Dave Beasant crocked by condiment

Beasant (right) will always be remembered for his penalty save for Wimbledon against Liverpool in the 1988 FA Cup final, but the goalkeeper could do nothing to stop a falling bottle of salad cream in 1993. The offending condiment smashed on his ankle and damaged ligaments, leaving Beasant ruled out for eight weeks.

Darius Vassell's driller thriller

The Aston Villa and England striker decided to take his health into his own hands when he got a blood blister beneath the nail of his big toe. For some reason he decided to use an electric drill for the purpose - as you do - and though he managed to successfully relieve the blister, he ended up in hospital with a blood infection.

Sam Torrance sleepwalks out of Ryder Cup

Scottish golfer Torrance (left) has a long history of sleepwalking, but at the 1993 Ryder Cup his problem became a nightmare. Torrance leapt out of bed and tackled a Yucca plant, believing it to be an intruder, and broke his toe in the process.

The incident caused him to miss the singles matches on the final day at The Belfry - though his fellow pros were unsympathetic. "For months afterwards I was unmercifully ribbed by my colleagues," he said. "Every time I hit into the trees, someone would say, 'Careful Sammy, it's a jungle out there!'"

David Batty run over by tricycle

Former England midfielder Batty was set to return from an Achilles injury when his young daughter ran him over on a tricycle, putting him back on the treatment table.

Fred Titmus propelled to injury

England vice-captain Titmus was enjoying a leisurely swim during the 1967/68 tour of the West Indies when he got his foot caught in the propeller of a boat, breaking four toes in the process. Despite fears his career might be over, Titmus returned to take 111 wickets for Middlesex and lead their batting averages the following season.

Bryan Robson

The England captain (right) picked up an Achilles problem in the second match of the 1990 World Cup against the Netherlands, but any hope of him recovering to play a part in the tournament evaporated when he tried to lift a bed that Gazza was lying on during a late night (and allegedly booze-fuelled) strength-testing competition. Robson dropped the cast iron bed on his toe and ended up on the plane home.

John Smoltz irons himself

Baseball players pride themselves on immaculate uniforms, so it was no surprise that Atlanta Braves pitcher Smoltz wanted to iron his jersey. The problem was he decided to do it while he was wearing it, leading to a nasty scalding.

David James gets 'Nintendo thumb'

Video game-related incidents are becoming increasingly common for footballers, with Rio Ferdinand once straining a tendon in his knee after a mammoth session playing Pro Evolution Soccer. But David James is the man who started it all after an all-night session on Super Mario Kart left him with strained thumbs that forced Liverpool to sideline him while he recovered.

Posting Source: http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/blogs/world-of-sport/article/55797/