Well-Known Point Loma Doctor Succumbs to Injuries

Dr. Ned Chambers

A well-known Point Loma doctor succumbed to injuries days after a fall during a pickleball game. In early March during a game, Dr. Ned Chambers fell against a pole, but suffered what he perceived as only a minor cut.

His wife, Annie told NBC10 News that her husband “came back from a pickleball game with a cut on his head. “He said, ‘I have these new shoes. I tripped, fell backwards, and I launched into this pole,’” said Annie.

“Annie says her husband received stitches at the office of a friend, a fellow doctor, but never got any imaging tests.”

He never felt any headaches, attending events over the next several days. That would change early Sunday morning,

“He said, ‘Geez, my head is really pounding. I need to go to ER,’” said Annie.

Chambers would collapse just outside their home, and was rushed to the hospital, but never regained consciousness, passing away hours later.

Chambers appears to have passed from ‘Talk and Die Syndrome,’ which refers to conditions in which what appears initially to be a minor head injury, leads to sudden death. …

Annie says the bleed was worsened because her husband was on blood thinners for a heart condition.

NBC10 also reported:

Chambers was in family practice at Shelter Island Medical Group for more than four decades. He also worked in occupational medicine. …

A sports enthusiast, he was also a doctor for two America’s Cup teams. Chambers was also the team doctor for the Point Loma High football team for some 35 years, before leaving about five years ago.

His family hopes sharing the story of his life and death will save lives. “As soon as you have a head injury, if you are on blood thinners, you need to go immediately to the hospital,” said Annie.

Point Loma High alumni are planning on setting up a scholarship in Chambers’ name.