Photographer speared by javelin at Utah meet

[PosterChild]

(05-19) 14:19 PDT Provo, Utah (AP) --


A newspaper photographer got a little too close to the action at the state high school track championships — and was speared through the leg by a javelin.


Ryan McGeeney of the Standard-Examiner was spared serious injury in Saturday's mishap, and even managed to snap a photo of his speared leg while others worked to help him.
"If I didn't, it would probably be my editor's first question when I got back," McGeeney said later.


The 33-year-old McGeeney, an ex-Marine who spent six months in Afghanistan, was taking pictures of the discus event and apparently wandered into off-limits area set aside for the javelin throw.
Striking just below the knee, the javelin tip went through the skin and emerged on the other side of his leg.


"It wasn't real painful. ... I was very lucky in that it didn't hit any blood vessels, nerves, ligaments or tendons," McGeeney said.
Much of the javelin was cut off at the scene. The piece in McGeeney's leg was removed at a hospital, and he received 13 stitches.


The javelin was thrown by Anthony Miles, a Provo High School student who said when he saw what had happened, "my heart just stopped."
"One of the first things that came to my mind was, 'Good thing we brought a second javelin,'" Miles' coach, Richard Vance, said Monday. He said Miles was "in a little bit of shock," but he assured the athlete that it was not his fault.


With a subsequent throw, Miles went on to win the state title in javelin for teams in Provo High's size classification, 4-A.



http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2008/05/19/national/a141936D53.DTL&tsp=1

 

[PosterChild]

Way to stick to your photo-journalistic standards, buddy.

 

[jimmy40]

(05-19) 14:19 PDT Provo, Utah (AP) --


A newspaper photographer got a little too close to the action at the state high school track championships — and was speared through the leg by a javelin.


Ryan McGeeney of the Standard-Examiner was spared serious injury in Saturday's mishap, and even managed to snap a photo of his speared leg while others worked to help him.
"If I didn't, it would probably be my editor's first question when I got back," McGeeney said later.


The 33-year-old McGeeney, an ex-Marine who spent six months in Afghanistan, was taking pictures of the discus event and apparently wandered into off-limits area set aside for the javelin throw.
Striking just below the knee, the javelin tip went through the skin and emerged on the other side of his leg.


"It wasn't real painful. ... I was very lucky in that it didn't hit any blood vessels, nerves, ligaments or tendons," McGeeney said.
Much of the javelin was cut off at the scene. The piece in McGeeney's leg was removed at a hospital, and he received 13 stitches.


The javelin was thrown by Anthony Miles, a Provo High School student who said when he saw what had happened, "my heart just stopped."
"One of the first things that came to my mind was, 'Good thing we brought a second javelin,'" Miles' coach, Richard Vance, said Monday. He said Miles was "in a little bit of shock," but he assured the athlete that it was not his fault.


With a subsequent throw, Miles went on to win the state title in javelin for teams in Provo High's size classification, 4-A.



http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2008/05/19/national/a141936D53.DTL&tsp=1

A friend of mine got hit in the head with a discus at a track meet back in high school and he damn near died, was in a coma for several weeks but eventually made a full recovery , although he does have a huge metal plate in his head.

 

[Tusan_Homichi]

Way to stick to your photo-journalistic standards, buddy.

Sweet mother. That sucks.

 

[ZeroClub]

A friend of mine got hit in the head with a discus at a track meet back in high school and he damn near died, was in a coma for several weeks but eventually made a full recovery , although he does have a huge metal plate in his head.

I once almost hit, with a shotput, a coach . He wasn't paying attention and walked with another coach in the field in front of the ring. I didn't notice him. It was a close call.


The funniest thing I ever saw at a track meet was a guy running the high hurdles whose pants fell down in the middle of the race. He proved the obvious: It is very difficult to clear a hurdle when your ankles are tied together.

 

[DallasFanSince86]

Ouch, glad he is alright.

Well, at least the photographer's name wasn't Bob; Otherwise he probably would have become known as Shish Ka Bob. Sorry just couldn't help myself.