Teenager Impaled by Javelin
The incident occurred in a field outside a High School in Toms River, New Jersey.
When medical personnel arrived on scene, they found a 16-year-old boy suffering from an eight-footlong javelin lodged in his right thigh.
It was impaled several inches into his thigh. The teenager was conscious and having a conversation with first-responders.
Firefighters cut the javelin to allow the boy to be safely transported to the hospital. It wasn’t immediately known if the victim was a spectator or if he had been participating in the track meet.
According to NJ.com, the teenager was taken to Jersey Shore Medical Center, where he remained on Wednesday. The extent of his injuries was not immediately known.
Currently, only 18 states include the javelin throw in high school track meets. Iowa is NOT one of those schools. But at one time, it was a part of Iowa high school athletics.
The event was offered in Iowa between the years 1926-1941. Bruce Erickson of Traer High School holds the all-time state record for the Javelin throw with 195’ 8.25”, which he achieved at the 1939 Iowa State Track and Field Championship.
The final state champion in the Javelin was Paul Fagerlind of Waterloo East High School in 1941 with a throw of 184’ 11.5”.
The world record for men, set in 1996, is 323.1 feet. It has been an Olympic sport since 1908.
Here's a few other injuries from a javelin. Viewer discretion.
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