A female volleyball player claims she suffered a traumatic brain injury and lost her peripheral vision after being knocked unconscious by a transgender opponent.
Payton McNabb, now 19, was allegedly left with life-threatening injuries after a transgender player on the opposing team smashed a volleyball into her head, causing her to black out for 30 seconds.
The incident occurred in 2022 in a match for Hiwassee Dam High School in Murphy, North Carolina.
Ms McNabb has now spoken out about the episode in a new documentary as she campaigns to prevent biological males from participating in women’s sports.
“If my story can, in any way help prevent this from happening to at least just one woman or girl, then it was all worth it,” she told The New York Post.
After Ms McNabb was struck on the forehead, she was rushed off the court with a concussion, neck injury and two black eyes while everyone else continued to finish the game, she said.
The teen said the full extent of her injuries only became clear weeks later, when she was diagnosed with a traumatic brain injury, a brain bleed, partial paralysis and loss of peripheral vision on her right side.
She also allegedly suffered ongoing memory loss, confusion and severe headaches.
Ms McNabb said the incident was completely avoidable and claimed her teammates were aware of a transgender player on the opposing team before the game, but were afraid to raise their concerns.
“We never thought we would ever be put in this position to begin with,” she told the NY Post, adding that her teammates didn’t know what to do.
The teenager said she was forced to sit out the rest of the volleyball season during her senior year. She also had ambitions of playing college softball but ended up being ruled out because of her injuries, which left her feeling depressed.
In April last year, Ms McNabb testified at the North Carolina general assembly in favour of the Fairness in Women’s Sports Bill, which sought to ban transgender athletes female school athletics.
Soon afterwards, North Carolina officially banned transgender athletes from competing in female sports at middle school, high school and college levels.