Wheaton College Student Dies After Hammer Throw Accident At Track Meet

A freshman student from Wheaton College died at a track meet, where he was a volunteer. Reports said the student, who wanted to be a minister, was accidentally hit by a tool used during a hammer throw event.

The authorities and school officials identified the student as 19-year-old Ethan Roser from Cincinnati. The incident took place at around 4:15 p.m. Moreover, Wheaton College Public Safety and paramedics did life-saving efforts on the victim but he was pronounced dead when they took him to the Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital. The authorities scheduled an autopsy this week before the release of Roser's official cause of death.

Bystanders claimed Roser was in the middle of the field when the accident happened. One of the witnesses, Marcus Malcolm, recounted that Roser became unresponsive immediately after he got hit by the hammer. Meanwhile, they held a vigil for him on Saturday evening, NBC News reported.

Roser was the son of Christian missionaries. He went to Wheaton College just this year after his family moved from Africa. His father, Rev. Mark, said they know their son is with Jesus now and they took comfort from that thought.

Roser's brother, on the other hand, took to Facebook on Saturday, stating that they are shocked and struggling to comprehend how they will live without his youngest sibling. He also said that now they grieve over his death but they will "reap in joy when we see him again in paradise," The Washington Post shared.

The hammer throw is one of the four throwing events in regular track and field competitions, along with the discus throw, shot put and javelin. The "hammer" used in this sport is not like any of the tools also called by that name. It consists of a metal ball attached by a steel wire to a grip. The size of the ball varies between men's and women's competitions, Hammer Throwing revealed.

Hammer throw is quite dangerous because athletes try to throw the hammer as far as they can with all their force. The metal weighs 16 pounds and when it landed on someone else's head will surely cause serious injuries or death. During hammer throw, one must avoid entering the field where the sport is taking place. The hammer thrower must also be extra vigilant and make sure no one is going to get hit if he throws the tool up in the air.