A track official died after being struck in the neck and face by a javelin during a competition in Dusseldorf, Germany, on Sunday, according to The Local, an English-language news source for Germany.
The 74-year-old male official had finished marking a javelin throw but was still in the area when a 15-year-old competitor threw a javelin that struck him. The official was taken to a hospital, but it was confirmed on Monday that he had died. "He was hit in the head, in the cheek, and also sustained a wound to his carotid artery," Michael Sandforth, spokesman for the Dusseldorf fire department, told The Local on Sunday. "He was bleeding very badly and lost a lot of blood." Onlookers needed counseling after witnessing the incident, according to the report. The annual meet has events for both children and adults, and has been held every year since the end of World War II.
