Father watching school athletics killed by hammer weight
Father watching school athletics killed by hammer weight
Share:
A father watching a high school athletics competition in Colorado has died after a being hit by a weight in a hammer throw event. Wade Langston, 57, was watching the track and field competition when a hammer weight cleared barriers and struck him on Sunday morning, the El Paso County coroner's office said, adding he died at the scene.
Witnesses at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs (UCCS) campus event reported Mr Langston was trying to shield his wife and son from the incoming weight. The hammer is a ball on a chain which competitors throw after spinning in a circle to gain momentum.
They weigh 7kg for men and 4kg for women in adult competitions, according to World Athletics, the international track and field governing body. A number of GoFundMe pages have been made to raise money in memory of Mr Langston, whose family described him as a dedicated father and husband with a great sense of humour.
One set up by his niece-in-law Tamara Rocha has raised more than $7,500 to help Mr Langston's son, a high school senior, with his university tuition, while another started by Colorado United Track Club coach Erik Huffman had raised over $10,500 for his family.
Read more:Streets empty in Chicago over Trump's immigration crackdownMatthew Perry Foundation launches addiction medicine fellowship. Be the first to get Breaking News. Install the Sky News app for free. "Wade was a devoted husband, loving father, cherished brother and brother-in-law, fun uncle, and an even more fun great-uncle," Ms Rocha wrote on the fundraising page.
