Ex-Villa Defender Chris Price Swept Out To Sea off Australian Coast

Former Aston Villa fullback Chris Price is recovering from pneumonia after being swept out to sea by a strong riptide in the Brisbane area, according to a BBC report. Price, who played 111 games with the team as a right back between 1988 and 1992, was recovered face-down and not breathing, but was treated on the scene by rescuers and is expected to recover despite subsequently contracting pneumonia after he was first released from the hospital. He moved to Australia after his playing career (he also featured for Blackburn Rovers and Portsmouth) and a brief managerial career that took him to Spain. Price was apparently playing with his daughter on the beach when he was 'engulfed' by a wave and immediately swept out into deep water.

The Aston Villa Former Players association have released a brief statement with details of the incident:

It's going to be a long time before Chris gets back to normal as he still can't walk yet, but can stand with help. On top of this, Chris and his family are having to battle the horrendous floods that have now hit Brisbane and Queensland in general. Chris and his wife Linda would like to thank everybody in the UK for their concern and messages of support.

I'll join in with every Aston Villa fan wishing Mr. Price a swift recovery. He's very lucky to still be alive after what could have been a tragic incident. Lesson: Beaches are very very bad news.