Australian Cricketer Phil Hughes Is Dead

Australian pro cricket player Phil Hughes is dead, days after suffering a severe head injury due to being struck by a bouncer thrown by New South Wales bowler Sean Abbott.

Doctors say the delivery caused Hughes's vertebral artery to rupture:

Australian team doctor Peter Brukner told a press conference Thursday that Hughes suffered a "massive bleed into his brain" during the game on Tuesday afternoon.

He said the ball hit the side of his neck and, "as a result of that blow, his vertebral artery was compressed by the ball. That caused the artery to split and for bleeding to go up into the brain. And he had a massive bleed into his brain. This is frequently fatal at the time."

Hughes was 25.