Anybody ever got killed by Track and Field Hammer throw?

Lorenzo the Magnificent wrote:

A top American threw one through his car window and badly injured his wife. Gave up the hammer for years. Came back after a long time and made the Olympic team. I think the basic facts are correct.

Ed Burke; Great Story. I learned of this in 1984 when he made the Olympic team and teared up a bit as I watched him carry the American Flag with such pride into the Opening Ceremonies after being selected to do so by the other American athletes. He held it high and proud with one hand.

I'm amazed at how many USATF officials I've yelled at to move back from the net. What do I know though, I ran middle distance. Usually, the head field judge in the area will come around and make them move. I just don't want my kids to see an avoidable tragedy and be able to focus on the athletes. Still some close calls though with early realease into the cage and a quick return to the concrete.

An official was injured during the hammer throw on Saturday at Cornell University and passed away last night from his injuries. So, so sad.

Ugh. I was there and saw them take him in an ambulance, and the remainder of the throws were cancelled. I hoped it would turn out better. Anyone know what happened?

I was hit by an indoor weight throw once while jogging between reps on an indoor track.

A female thrower let it go too soon or too late, I heard "heads up!" and it hit me right in my mid section and knocked me on my back.

I thought I was crushed and felt like I was screaming, but I just hand the wind knocked out of me real bad and no sound was coming from me.

I turned out fine. Lucky it didn't hit me in the head or my legs or my goodies.

Throws should be held in a field, a ways from the track with no one within several hundred meters of the thrower. Just too dangerous.

I work the weight throw at indoor meets carrying the weights back. I never turn my back to the pit when someone's in it. One errant throw went over my head by a few feet last year just after I had dropped off a weight. I knew it would miss me, but even so, I backpedalled. It's pretty scary to see that weight heading towards you!

Tragic wrote:

Ugh. I was there and saw them take him in an ambulance, and the remainder of the throws were cancelled. I hoped it would turn out better. Anyone know what happened?

I was there and saw it. I'd say about a hundred of us did.

Athletes were warming up for the second flight of the men's weight. One of the throwers threw very roughly 60 feet. It was a sector foul by a couple feet.

The official was facing the ring and sector. He should have seen it coming. I can't explain why he didn't move. Maybe he was inattentive for whatever reason that day. I was told that he'd been nearly hit twice during the women's weight event.

I feel very sorry for the official's family and friends and colleagues. But I feel terrible for the athlete involved and his coach.

Ithacan wrote:

Tragic wrote:

Ugh. I was there and saw them take him in an ambulance, and the remainder of the throws were cancelled. I hoped it would turn out better. Anyone know what happened?

I was there and saw it. I'd say about a hundred of us did.

Athletes were warming up for the second flight of the men's weight. One of the throwers threw very roughly 60 feet. It was a sector foul by a couple feet.

The official was facing the ring and sector. He should have seen it coming. I can't explain why he didn't move. Maybe he was inattentive for whatever reason that day. I was told that he'd been nearly hit twice during the women's weight event.

I feel very sorry for the official's family and friends and colleagues. But I feel terrible for the athlete involved and his coach.

Anyone have any info on who this official was? I did a cursory search on Cornell's website and the Ithica paper, but didn't find anything...

1996 Olympic trials in Atlanta, Carl Lewis was nearly taken out by the hammer. I believe it was warm ups for the prelims of long jump. Hammer landed on the edge of the runway as he prepared for a run through...2 or 3 feet max away. The sector/cage was quickly corrected and Carl continued minutes later like nothing happened. A morning session with very few people in the stadium. No cell phones and few cameras...today it might be a bigger story. I would love to have someone ask him that question and hear his response or level of awareness about that moment/day.

Official wrote:

Anyone have any info on who this official was? I did a cursory search on Cornell's website and the [Ithaca] paper, but didn't find anything...

Here's something I found online:

Note that there's an error in the piece: the event did *not* resume after the accident. The first (unseeded) flight had taken its three preliminary throws, and those appeared as the final results. But the second (seeded) flight, which was taking its warmups when the incident occurred, didn't take any throws in the competition. After the accident the Cornell folks (very wisely, IMO) shut down the throwing area for the rest of the day.

I remember the story basically the same way. I tried Googling the issue and the top link sent me here to your comment. Pretty ironic, eh? Maybe we both imagined it....🤔

I was at the meet and had a thrower in the hammer that day. I was about 60 feet from the reporter who was hit. I played it over and over in my mind every day for months. The sounds and the sights were traumatic. The male thrower pulled his throw around the left cage gate and everyone yelled "HEADS". The reporter and another person he was standing next to turned their backs to the ring and ran a couple steps to a fence that was between them and the track. He did indeed have a clipboard in his left hand and I saw the hammer hit the clipboard and then the back of his head. It sounded exactly as you would imagine. The meet was stopped for a while and the reporter was taken to the hospital where he died about 30 min later, we were told. The guy who threw the hammer seemed a little shaken but he continued on with the competition. I don't remember how he did but I do not think he finished very close to his PR. As I said it haunted me for months. Over the years I've used the incident as a cautionary tale to all my athletes to always take safety very seriously and if they hear "HEADS" to turn and find out what is headed their way and figure out how to get out of its way. Not many have actually seen something like this and if the experience can keep a few kids safer as a result, then at least there is something positive that can come out of it. RIP Mr.Klusman