Paintball Tragedy

[BST]

Folks,

You may have already read, or heard about this but, if not, I wanted to pass this along:

http://transfer.go.com/cgi/transfer.pl?goto=http://abcnews.go.com/sections/GMA/Living/Paintball_death_040228-1.html&name=ALSO_ON&srvc=nws

[Rowan]

BST that's awful poor little kid. I know he's not responsible but how is he ever supposed to enjoy his birthdays again for it will always be the anniversary of his mother's death, too sad.

[Dawg]

This really is tragic. My heart goes out to that kid and his dad.

Being a paintballer myself, though, I can't help but wonder if it was a defect in the CO2 tank, or in what the kid was doing as he broke down his marker. My marker is like the one in the picture; there's a definite procedure you go through to break it down, emptying the hopper of paint, point the business end of it away and repeatedly "fire" it as you unscrew the tank (you relieve the internal pressure as you separate the tank from the marker).

In this case, it could be the regulator on the tank failed as the kid unscrewed it, and it went off like a rocket. It could be the kid wasn't following procedure and the same thing happened. BST, if you notice any follow-up to this, let us know, OK?

One item of correction in that story, though: the "pellets" are actually .6 inch diameter plastic spheres that are filled with a thick, soapy, colored "paint". These spheres break on impact and splatter the paint - and you're out of the game. They sting, too, and can leave bruises on under-protected skin. It is a sport with risks, but it's safer than football if the rules are obeyed.

I am
Dawg
:warrior:

[BST]

Dawg,

I thought of you when I read that article. My heart, too, goes out to the family. It was terribly tragic.


I'll keep tabs on this but, if ANYONE sees any follow-up articles, please post them.

BST

[braxiss]

as a paintball player my heart and prayers go out to this family, but in ten years of playing i've never see or heard of any serious accidents when the rules are obeyed. i really am sorry to hear of these kinds of tragity's because it makes paintball and those who play look terribly aweful.

[gunnerk19]

Man that just SUCKS... :(

I used to manage a paintball supply store and played on a nearby sanctioned field; I can't help but wonder how warm a day it was since higher air temps increase CO2 tank pressure dramatically... The old trick of dry firing the marker while unscrewing the canister still works, but with the advent of on/off type valves, you could completely drain the air system before actually removing the CO2 source. All this could well be considered hindsight, but it's really a sad thing to hear about when it used to be that the most dangerous thing that could have happened in PB was losing an eye to non regulation goggles...

My heart goes out to their family...

[DarkJedi]

OMG!!! How can he celebrate his birthday from now on?? OMG>... my heart goes out to them. Please if there is any follow ups, please share them. I wish there was something we can do to help them.

[Darth Marley]

A very sad story.
A reminder that death can come at any moment, seemingly out of nowhere.

I play occasionally with pressure tanks and dangerous chemicals, and there are many hobbies with more inherent risk than paintball.

[emerita]

What were little kids doing breaking down the guns anyway. That should be the job of the owners of the paintball place. They were just being lazy. I bet if a kid broke a gun breaking it down, they would have to pay for it. I also heard that it was the son's gun that killed his mother, but that they didn't want to tell him that.....
I would have never let my kids play that game. In the eighties we had Lazer Tag. You wore vests with sensors on it and protective eyewear. You played it indoors under supervision with refrees. They stopped it because they thought it was to violent and some parents thought the laser light would blind their children, although it was the same light used in their tv remotes. They replaced it with paintball, thinking the kids needed to be playing outdoors. Why do you think you have to wear padded clothing and helmets? I have seem adults come out with impact bruises.... I just don't understand.....

[Dawg]

There are a lot of details that aren't in the story. How old the kid was, how experienced with the equipment, that kind of thing. I'm going to keep my eye out on this one.

I am
Dawg
:warrior:

[emerita]

My daughter saw on one of the CNN channels that he was 10 and it was his gun that misfired. Don't know if those are the true facts though...... I still want to know why the children were breaking down their own guns......

[braxiss]

please don't blame the entire paintball community on the actions of a few.
i've said it once and i'll say it again PAINTBALL IS A VERY SAFE VERY FUN SPORT WHEN ALL THE RULES ARE FOLLOWED.
unfortunatly the actions of a few cast a bag light on the whole group

[emerita]

It is one of those sports that I shall never understand I guess......I'd rather do the Lazer Tag. At least it doesn't hurt.

[braxiss]

It is one of those sports that I shall never understand I guess......I'd rather do the Lazer Tag. At least it doesn't hurt.


i can respect that :thumbsup:

[Rowan]

I've always wanted to try it but am affraid I'd probably get too caught up and get too competitive and take it too seriously:wtf:

[braxiss]

I've always wanted to try it but am affraid I'd probably get too caught up and get too competitive and take it too seriously:wtf:

try it and you'll probably be hooked, and being competitive is just part of the game, and it's a great stress reliever :thumbsup:

[Rowan]

Stress relief I could definitely use ,but I think it would trigger something deep inside that I'm afraid of I don't know that I could keep focused on the idea that it's a game and that feeling scares me and is why I steer away from those kind s of activities...I would be afraid to try because I'm afraid it wuold force me to see a side of myself I'm not comfortable with. Now I'm getting to oserious and so I think I'll go present myself for a THWACKING over on the thread:)

[Muffit]

That is so terribly sad. Life can be so unfair. I remember there used to be a signup sheet at work and many folks (including girls) signed up. Most came back with facial bruises and never played again. The smart ones with protective gear when on to play quite a lot and had a good deal of fun. I wonder if something as simple as requiring that you wear a helmet while dismantling the gun would solve the problem...

:muffit:

[Sci-Fi]

That is so terribly sad. Life can be so unfair. I remember there used to be a signup sheet at work and many folks (including girls) signed up. Most came back with facial bruises and never played again. The smart ones with protective gear when on to play quite a lot and had a good deal of fun. I wonder if something as simple as requiring that you wear a helmet while dismantling the gun would solve the problem...

:muffit:

Technically, you are supposed to wear eye protection, face mask, helmet (esp to protect your ears and the top/back of your head), protective cup, knee and elbow pads, and many wear chest & neck protector pads. Even during disassembly, protection should be worn.

IMHO, anybody under 18 should not be taking apart a paintball gun. There are definite safety procedures that need to be followed. The terrible accident that happened to the mom could have been prevented with proper supervision or by having an adult clean/service all the guns. The CO2 cartridge would have seriously injured anybody, whether they were wearing safety equipment/protection or not.

[shiningstar]

Folks,

You may have already read, or heard about this but, if not, I wanted to pass this along:

http://transfer.go.com/cgi/transfer.pl?goto=http://abcnews.go.com/sections/GMA/Living/Paintball_death_040228-1.html&name=ALSO_ON&srvc=nws


How tragic. I especially feel sorry for that young boy. Even though
I am certain everyone is telling him it's not his fault ..........he does
blame himself. :(

[bsg1fan1975]

Man that is so sad. I feel for the kid.

[shiningstar]

I feel really bad for that poor child too.
I thought the paint ball sport was safe.
I just like everyone else didn't know about the
canisters exploding or the deaths that were
caused by them.

[bsg1fan1975]

I had friends in high school that were big on that.

[shiningstar]

I had friends in high school that were big on that.

Alot of the kids here where I live are big on Paint ball .............. they're good
kids .........but now I am so worried about them. I emailed the links to the
paint ball tragedies to their parents. :...:

Not that it will do any good. :(

[Dawg]

It would not surprise me to learn that this was a fluke event; no less tragic, but a genuine accident. Of course, if there were defective equipment or inadequate training and supervision involved (depending on the age of the kid whose tank exploded), that's another story.

Has anyone heard any follow-up?

Edit: I just re-read some of the story. I didn't realize the kid's only 10, I thought he was a couple years older than that. 10 is pretty young for full-blown paintball, in my opinion, unless there is an adult closely overseeing the activity. The range I go to won't let anyone under 10 participate at all, and a parent has to be there.

I'm going to be very interested to learn more about this.

I am
Dawg
:warrior:

[shiningstar]

It would not surprise me to learn that this was a fluke event; no less tragic, but a genuine accident. Of course, if there were defective equipment or inadequate training and supervision involved (depending on the age of the kid whose tank exploded), that's another story.

Has anyone heard any follow-up?

Edit: I just re-read some of the story. I didn't realize the kid's only 10, I thought he was a couple years older than that. 10 is pretty young for full-blown paintball, in my opinion, unless there is an adult closely overseeing the activity. The range I go to won't let anyone under 10 participate at all, and a parent has to be there.

I'm going to be very interested to learn more about this.

I am
Dawg
:warrior:

According to the link I read .................... there have been 15 related
casualties related to this problem. Go back and read the link Dawg ...........
You'll see what I mean. This is a problem that is just now being reported
but HAS existed for some time ...................

I do not think that a 10 year old child has any business doing this ........
but even so ............the same result would have occured with a
highschool aged kid as well ........and I think HAS .............occured
because of the discharging canisters.

It reminds me of someone who put a match under a hairspray can.
The same results of a discharging canister ................flying off
and hurting or destroying anyone or thing in it's way.

Now when I think of the simularities .........I'm surprised now
that this hasn't happened sooner.

[BST]

Folks,

I think that while we do understand what happened, appreciate the need for common sense and safety awareness with regards to participation and equipment handling, and definitely sympathize with the family affected, we need to keep in mind that, overall, it is apparently a very safe sport...when the proper precautions are taken. Remember, it's only news when "something has gone wrong". We don't hear of the hundreds or thousands of events that occurred without incident.

There are many such sports that have the potential for danger, if the proper safety precautions are not exercised. Paintball is only one of them. Chances are that you can think of several others.

BST

[braxiss]

Folks,

I think that while we do understand what happened, appreciate the need for common sense and safety awareness with regards to participation and equipment handling, and definitely sympathize with the family affected, we need to keep in mind that, overall, it is apparently a very safe sport...when the proper precautions are taken. Remember, it's only news when "something has gone wrong". We don't hear of the hundreds or thousands of events that occurred without incident.

There are many such sports that have the potential for danger, if the proper safety precautions are not exercised. Paintball is only one of them. Chances are that you can think of several others.

BST


:thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :salute:


well said

[shiningstar]

Folks,

I think that while we do understand what happened, appreciate the need for common sense and safety awareness with regards to participation and equipment handling, and definitely sympathize with the family affected, we need to keep in mind that, overall, it is apparently a very safe sport...when the proper precautions are taken. Remember, it's only news when "something has gone wrong". We don't hear of the hundreds or thousands of events that occurred without incident.

There are many such sports that have the potential for danger, if the proper safety precautions are not exercised. Paintball is only one of them. Chances are that you can think of several others.

BST

Your point is well taken ...............And you're right about the other
sports where proper precautions should be taken.

[Rowan]

Recently in Ohio a man brought his daughter to a hockey game to celebrate her 14th birthday. during the game while she sat in the stands with her father she was killed by a flying puck.

During my last rotaion in the hospital we cared for a teenager who had broken his led, macerated his femerol artery and had a fistula which resulted in them having to cut open most of his leg and leave it open right down to the bone he will have to recieve skin graphs and go through years of rehab and his leg will always have this deep valley running the whole length of his leg all because his gym teacher had the students hop on one leg and this students knee happend to buckle in the wrong direction.

Trampolines are known to cause many broken legs, thats why your supposed to use the high netting around them.
Cords that raise your blinds have killed by strangulation hundreds of babies whose cribs were place too close to the window

Somethings are crazy flukes, but with others there is a pattern, I hope they dont wait till hundreds of people are killed this way before they come up with some safety measures.
Now that we are all depreseed...:(

[shiningstar]

Recently in Ohio a man brought his daughter to a hockey game to celebrate her 14th birthday. during the game while she sat in the stands with her father she was killed by a flying puck.

During my last rotaion in the hospital we cared for a teenager who had broken his led, macerated his femerol artery and had a fistula which resulted in them having to cut open most of his leg and leave it open right down to the bone he will have to recieve skin graphs and go through years of rehab and his leg will always have this deep valley running the whole length of his leg all because his gym teacher had the students hop on one leg and this students knee happend to buckle in the wrong direction.

Trampolines are known to cause many broken legs, thats why your supposed to use the high netting around them.
Cords that raise your blinds have killed by strangulation hundreds of babies whose cribs were place too close to the window

Somethings are crazy flukes, but with others there is a pattern, I hope they dont wait till hundreds of people are killed this way before they come up with some safety measures.
Now that we are all depreseed...:(

(((((((((GAELEN))))))))))) I understand what you are saying.
I also understand how difficult your job must be. I'm
keeping you in my prayers.

[Dawg]

An update:

From the Sacramento Bee's original 2/18/04 story:

http://www.sacbee.com/content/news/story/8286706p-9217275c.html

No charges will be filed against the 16-year-old boy whose paintball gun malfunctioned, House said.

Bob McGuire, president of the American Paintball League and the Paintball Training Institute, said there is a test typically conducted on paintball guns, which are called "markers." The "valve twist test" is intended to keep accidents with the gas cartridges from occurring, he said.

"If the valve is not securely fastened, (the cartridge) could screw off from the valve instead of from the marker," McGuire said during a phone call from the training institute's Tennessee headquarters.

McGuire said paintball facilities are required to meet standards set by the American Society of Testing and Materials in order to qualify for insurance. However, he said, paintball facilities are not required to carry insurance, and the standards are voluntary otherwise.

McGuire also said he has not heard of other fatal accidents.

"It's a very unfortunate circumstance, but I don't see that it will change the procedures that are currently in place at paintball facilities," McGuire said.

From "Paintball News" (post date unknown):

http://apg.cfw2.com/page.asp?content_id=2509

CO2 TANK UNSCREWS: HITS & KILLS PERSON

A tragic death occurred a few days ago at a recreational paintball field in northern California. According to reports, the player began to unscrew the tank from his marker after the games were over. The tank and its valve should have remained attached to each other, as a unit. Instead, the tank was unscrewed from the tank valve, while the tank valve remained screwed into the ASA of the marker. The tank flew a few feet, and struck a woman in the head. She died instantly.

Our sympathy goes out to the family and friends of Colette Leia Contois.

There is a Memorial Fund for Colette Contois. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Rescue the Kids Foundation, at the Rescue Credit Union, 4282 Golden Center Dr., Placerville, CA 95667; or any of the school's credit union branches (Schools Financial Credit Union, P.O. Box 526001, Sacramento, CA 95852; information (800) 962-0990).

This Safety Alert is for EVERY person involved with paintball.

The valve must stay in the tank when the tank is unscrewed from the marker.


From the Modesto Bee, March 3, 2004

http://www.modbee.com/sports/story/8218635p-9068137c.html

No charges were filed, House said. He added the malfunction was with the brass fitting, or pin valve, which is supposed to hold the pressure in the CO2 tank. It's not supposed to come off -- he said it usually takes a vice to unscrew -- but on this tragic instance, it didn't work properly.

Bob McGuire, president of the American Paintball League and Paintball Training Institute, said "valve-twist tests" are typically done on paintball markers to prevent certain failures with gas cartridges from happening.

"I've talked with many, many people nationwide, and this is the first or second time this has ever happened," said House. "It was an absolute freak of an accident."

In fact, research from a study of sports injuries in the United States in 2002, conducted by American Sports Data, Inc. (ASD), a Hartsdale, N.Y.-based firm specializing in sports and fitness research, supports how safe paintball is.

They assessed the risk potential of each sport by measuring injuries per 1,000 athletic exposures to the sport. Paintball was the safest of the extreme sports, at .2 injuries per 1,000 exposures -- safer than mountain biking (1.2), surfing (1.8), and even mainstream sports such as basketball (1.9), softball (2.2) and soccer (2.4).

The reason? If played the right way and with a protective face mask, the paint pellets shot by the compressed-air guns in paintball don't hurt very much.

"It feels like someone flicked you with a rubber band," said Craig Stott, former longtime tournament player.

From PaintBall.com (2/22/04)

http://paintball.com/features/story.cfm?placementid=2814&clickon=FSS

http://paintball.com/pics/thegun.jpg

Note where he is pointing - the tank failed while the 16 year old was disassembling it.

This was a tragic, freak accident. According to the news reports, there will be no suit against the paintball facility or the poor kid whose rented equipment failed. I've seen nothing, though, about the age, condition, or manufacturer of the tank, so the jury's probably still out, as they say.

Terrible thing.

Thought y'all would like a bit more info.

I am
Dawg
:warrior:

[braxiss]

thanks dawg


:salute: