BREAK A LEG!! OR TWO

13th December 1998

On this day, with Christmas fast approaching, Aston Villa was losing 0-2, at home Villa Park, against Arsenal. Just to cheer up everyone, the half time entertainment at this Premier League match included Santa parachuting down from a small plane, onto the Villa Park pitch. 

There was an RAF parachute display, with Santa sailing into view. 

But the festive mood that Sunday evening, enjoyed by the 40,000 crowd, turned to tragedy, when a gust of wind caused Santa, the RAF parachutist, Nigel Rogoff, to clip the edge of the Trinity Road Stand. It took what seemed like an age for him to slide down the roof, causing Nigel to fall around 80 feet, hit the pitch side hoardings on the side of the pitch. He was known to have made over 6,000 jumps.

Nigel suffered multiple injuries; he broke both legs (yes 2) and his left leg, eventually, had to be amputated below the knee. He was treated by two surgeons (yes two) who had been spectators at the match!! and quickly taling to Birmingham's main hospital. Nigel went on to receive 177 pints of blood in a 3-month spell in hospital. Thankfully, Nigel recovered, then married, fathered twins and has been in a crew of 4 ex-servicemen, all amputees, to row across the Atlantic! Heroes!!

In February 2016, it was good to see a picture of Nigel, in Saturday’s News & Record, featuring RAF Flight Sergeant Nigel Rogoff.  Nigel was part of a team of four rowers who became the first amputees to row the Atlantic - all 3000 miles of it!  In 1999 he visited Villa Park and came onto the pitch at half time. Sky, who had featured the original accident, didn’t show him on their coverage that day! Doh!! Opportunity missed??

As a side note, on the day of the accident, Villa went on to beat Arsenal 3-2, after the 2nd half was only delayed by about 15 minutes, which seems a rapid turn round and recovery by our "services"! Paramedics on duty at the match, rushed to his aid and quickly erected a tarpaulin around him.  Mac McColgan, a fan who watched the accident happen, said: "It looked like a dummy that had just been thrown out of an aeroplane. There was no life when he fell." 

Aston Villa (manager Gregory) v Arsenal (manager Wenger), 

13 December 1998 3-2 to Villa. Referee Steve Lodge. Attendance 39,217.

Villa Goals:

Julian Joachim		62
Dion Dublin		65
Dion Dublin		83

Gunners Goals:

Dennis Bergkamp		14
Dennis Bergkamp		45