Georgia high school wrestler breaks neck in match at 3A state meet

Jefferson's Dominic Haines life-flighted, rushed into surgery after accident

A Georgia high school wrestler suffered a broken neck during Thursday's quarterfinal action of the boys Georgia state Class 3A wrestling tournament in Macon. / Levi Payton

A moment of triumph quickly turned serious on Thursday in Macon, Georgia.

Competing in a 144-pound quarterfinal match of the GSHA Boys State Championships against Gilmer County’s Domingo Velasquez on Thursday evening at the Macon Centreplex, Jefferson senior wrestler Dominic Haines went down awkwardly at the 5:23 mark and suffered a broken neck.

Sensing the seriousness of the situation, medical staff quickly tended to Haines – who was then life flighted to Arthur Blank Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta and underwent emergency surgery for his injuries.

The Atlanta-Journal Constitution reported Haines initially had no feeling from his neck down minutes after the accident.

A GoFundMe account has been set up to support the family's medical expenses, with nearly $42,000 of its $50,000 goal having been met by press time.

On Friday, Jefferson wrestling coach Kyle Baird provided an update to reporters, saying Haines had undergone successful emergency surgery and was alert and breathing on his own post-surgery. He also said Haines' father reported his son was shrugging his shoulders shortly before entering surgery.

Now, Baird said, doctors must wait for his body to begin healing before doctors will have a better understanding of his condition going forward. Meanwhile, he vowed to help Jefferson win the team title in honor of their fallen comrade.

“There’s a lot of swelling, and it can take a bit to go down,” Baird told AccessWDUN. “They’re not sure how much, if any, feeling he’ll regain, but they’re hopeful since the spinal cord is intact, and they were able to align the spine to take pressure off it.”

Haines was 7-0 this season at the time of his injury. He was also seemingly at his best, having just won his first career GHSA Class 3A Area 8 championship on Feb. 1, and GHSA Class 3A Section A title on Feb. 8.

Competition resumed at the tournament on Friday and Jefferson, which was leading as a team after Thursday’s opening round, maintained a 186.5-135.0 lead over North Hall on Friday evening.