{
  "id": 8644637,
  "title": "Bizarre Scenes! Ex-England Footballer Escapes Serious Injury After Being Run Over By Pitch Roller; Video Viral",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/20/bizarre-scenes-ex-england-footballer-escapes-serious-injury-after",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-09-20T07:12:19.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Free Press Journal",
    "slug": "free-press-journal",
    "url": "https://www.freepressjournal.in/sports/bizarre-scenes-ex-england-footballer-escapes-serious-injury-after-being-run-over-by-pitch-roller-video-viral"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Andros Townsend faced a bizarre and potentially dangerous situation during warm-up before a match, when a pitch roller almost ran him over while he was attempting a midair backheel. The former England international, who played for Tottenham Hotspur, Crystal Palace and Everton, was filmed falling to the ground as if the vehicle had passed over him. Despite the alarming incident, Townsend miraculously walked away unharmed and was able to continue playing. The footage of the incident quickly went viral, raising concerns about the safety of players during warm-ups. Townsend eventually came off the bench in the 93rd minute, contributing to PT Prachuap's 3-0 victory over Pattani FC in Thailand.",
  "summary": "Andros Townsend had a lucky escape after appearing to be hit and run over by a pitch roller during the warm-up before PT Prachuap’s 3-0 win over Pattani FC in Thailand. The former England international was attempting a midair backheel when the vehicle moved towards him, with footage showing him falling to the ground as it appeared to pass over him. Remarkably, Townsend was later able to feature…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}