Track & Field Fatalities

While I enjoy Olympic sports of all ilk, the field portion of track and field has to be some of my most favorites. The javelin, discus, hammer throw, and shot put are all must-see TV… not because they are  bizarre feats of strength, but because of the danger factor. It's impossible to watch the judges who run towards the soaring heavy objects in order to track precisely where they land and not ask yourself how many people have died thanks to these sports.

I found myself Googling field event fatalities, and then Googling some more, and then some more. Here's some of what I found:

• In Los Angeles, a reporter was struck by a hammer while covering a track meet. He died of massive head injuries. "Some people yelled at him, and he tried to duck, but it still got him."
• In Estonia, a judge died from a javelin impalement but not before he "pulled the javelin from his head himself."
• In England, a referee was killed by a shot put that hit him in the head. "Horrified spectators said the impact sounded like 'a gun shot' or 'a pole-vaulter's pole snapping.'"
• Also in England, a teacher died from accidentally impaling himself on a javelin. "His eye was pierced by the blunt end of the javelin. The 41-year-old PE and geography teacher is believed to have lost his footing as he went to retrieve the javelin."
• In Texas, a man was killed by a wild discus throw. "I know that the family thanks the throwing community… for their thoughts and prayers." And hitting him in the head?
• In Japan, a high school student went in a coma after being hit by a peer's hammer throw. "A teacher who coaches the students told police he had always told them to shout out a warning to each other before they throw the hammer." Good safety precautions.
• In California, a boy was impaled all the way through by a javelin. "The javelin entered near his hip and came out through his buttocks." 
• Elsewhere in England, a teenager was struck by a discus and immediately went into a coma, dying the next day. However, medical professionals say "that his death wasn't necessarily caused by the accident."  In some move that seems like an attempt to prevent a lawsuit, a pathologist said that a "brain abnormality" was responsible. Apparently, it's abnormal for a brain to not be able to withstand a discus to the head.
• In Toledo, a high school student underwent multiple surgeries after being struck by a shot put. "Schimmel was hit [in the head]… by a warmup throw from eventual shot put champion Chris Wormley." I'm so glad Wormley not only stayed to compete, but also had the mental courage to win after sending someone to the hospital in critical condition.

Who else is feeling blood thirsty now? I'm keeping tuned into the Olympics until I see at least one crushed skull. LET THE GAMES BEGIN!