Ally McCrae, a 23-year-old cage fighter died recently when a cow fell on him in an abattoir where he worked.
Upon hearing the news of McCrae’s death, his trainer John Nelson initially believed that his fighter -- a renowned prankster -- may be playing a joke on him. In an interview with The Mirror, Nelson couldn’t help but express his shock at the way McCrae ultimately passed.
“Ally was such a joker and when I heard the bizarre circumstances, I thought he might be playing a joke,’ he told paper.
“He was known for his banter so we sort of expected to see him post on his Facebook that this was all a bad joke.”
According to multiple reports, McCrae found himself trapped when a cow carcass fell off a hook and caused significant head injuries. Said head injuries, in turn, initiated a heart attack. Despite the fact that authorities were able to get him to a hospital alive, too much time had passed and surgeons were unable to save his life.
“He was very talented and was a promising mixed martial artist. He was always at the gym. It’s going to be very difficult not having him around,” Nelson said.
The deceased’s brother, Derek, was also stunned by what had transpired.
“I am struggling to get my head around this. I’m devastated by what has happened.”
McCrae was a blue belt in in Brazilian jiu-jitsu fighting and was a skilled in Thai boxer and wrestler.
David Bateman, editor of Scottish Fighting Breakdown Magazine also expressed his deepest respect for the deceased fighter and his family.
“The Scottish MMA community will be in mourning. I met Ally for the first time over the summer and he was a lovely guy.”
The Health and Safety Executive is reportedly looking into the details of precisely what happened in this case, and how accidents like this can be prevented in the future.