‘Survivor’ Contestant Severely Injured During Premiere

Survivor: David vs. Goliath is off to a shocking start, with one contestant suffering a severe injury that put his ability to compete in jeopardy during Wednesday’s premiere.

David tribe member Pat Cusack ended up on a stretcher, unaware of his surroundings during the CBS series’ season premiere after a rough boat ride back from the challenge to camp left him with a possible “severe” back injury.

“When we leave the challenge, we are on a boat,” fellow tribe member Gabby Pascuzzi told the camera. “And the seas are really rough and the boat slams down on one of the waves. And we hear a crack, I thought maybe Pat had hurt his back, maybe tweaked it a bit. But we don’t know what’s happening, we’re watching and hoping for the best.”

Host and executive producer Jeff Probst said, “This is really unusual, in that a boat ride back to camp is very normal we’ve never had anyone be injured being transported.”

“You can’t take me,” Cusack said, pained from the stretcher. “I can’t leave.”

“We don’t have any choice,” the EMT said, adding that they had to take him to the hospital to rule out “serious damage.”

And while Probst remedied the tribe’s loss of a member by cancelling the night’s tribal council, he couldn’t help the shaken tribe members who felt guilty seeing their peer go home so soon.

It appears Cusack will not be returning from the hospital to the island, as well, with a note in the credits saying that he had been treated for his injuries and ultimately made a full recovery.

Fans on Twitter were shocked by the moment:

“What a tough way to go #Survivor,” one fan wrote.

Another added, “I always hate seeing people leave #Survivor like that.”

“I feel so bad for Pat, that’s a terrible way to go out. Poor guy #survivor,” a third said.

Another said, “Just couldn’t imagine the emotion from being pulled from the game like that. My hear goes out to Pat. I hope he has fully recovered. #SURVIVOR #cbsSurvivor”

Survivor airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET on CBS.

Photo credit: CBS