Medical cart carrying injured soccer player runs into teammate in insane scene in Ecuadorian league
ECUADOR — A routine injury substitution took a bizarre turn during a Serie B match Sunday when a Liga de Portoviejo player was struck by the very medical cart sent to remove his injured teammate from the field.
The incident occurred in the 72nd minute of Portoviejo’s match against bottom-placed El Nacional at Estadio Olímpico. Portoviejo, sitting mid-table, was holding a 1-0 lead when one of its outfield players suffered what appeared to be a serious injury. Medical staff loaded the player onto a motorized cart and began a slow exit toward the tunnel.
As the cart crept along the touchline at walking pace, Portoviejo’s Edison Caicedo stepped into its path, seemingly unaware of the vehicle approaching from his blind side. The corner of the stretcher mounted on the cart’s rear caught Caicedo squarely on the upper thigh. He collapsed instantly, clutching his leg and rolling in visible discomfort.
What followed drew more attention than the collision itself. Rather than stopping to check on the player he had just hit, the cart driver accelerated away, covering only a few yards before Portoviejo team staff intercepted and halted the vehicle. The driver did not appear to acknowledge the impact, according to broadcast footage.
Caicedo remained on the turf for several minutes while trainers attended to him. He eventually rose, tested the leg, and elected to remain in the match. Portoviejo preserved the 1-0 victory, handing El Nacional its latest defeat in a winless campaign.
The Ecuadorian Football Federation has not announced any review of the incident. Medical cart protocols at the venue are expected to be examined internally by match organizers.
