Less than a year ago, in 2025, a 57-year-old spectator passed away at an indoor meet in Colorado Springs after being struck by a 25-pound weight in a shot put event. And now in 2026, a similar “freak” incident during a Region II-3A state University Interscholastic League competition has once again put safety in focus after a coach was left in the ICU.

On May 2, 2026, Ponder ISD assistant coach Blake Crutsinger was struck in the head by a shot put around 2 p.m. while the competition was underway. Crutsinger, who also serves as an assistant football coach, suffered a skull fracture and severe brain swelling following the impact and was rushed to the hospital.

Hours later, his wife Leslie Crutsinger shared an update on Facebook. She confirmed that he had been admitted to the ICU. She wrote on Facebook, “It was a FREAK accident! He is in the ICU in Tyler and has a skull fracture and brain swelling. Please pray specific prayers for the swelling to stay down, as this is the biggest concern for the first 2-3 days.”

By May 4, 2026, doctors moved forward with surgery after the swelling did not improve enough on its own. His wife later shared that, “For the long-term plan, he will be in ICU until he can have the flap put back on. This will be a minimum of 2-4 weeks, but could easily be longer. He will then be transferred to inpatient rehab, most likely at Baylor in Dallas.”

For now, Crutsinger remains in intensive care under close observation. But amid this accident, other track coaches are suggesting stronger safety measures. After all, one can only imagine the severity of an injury caused as the standard shot put weights for high school track and field are usually around 12 pounds (5.44kg) for boys and 4 kilograms (8.8pounds) for girls.

The Lancaster girls coach, LaKeidra Hayes, suggested, “Maybe with the officials, making sure there is a wider radius that people aren’t standing in. Just make sure those areas are clear and free.”

Another coach pointed out that while most throwing events have nets or a cage to protect spectators, shot put doesn’t have that. “You have a lot more errant throws in the discus, the hammer, all of those other throwing events, so you do have nets or cages up,” Williams, a former Lancaster boys track coach, said. “The shot is pretty wide open.”

Meanwhile, in a more recent update, Crutsinger’s wife shared that doctors have confirmed signs of pneumonia in one lung, and treatment with antibiotics and breathing support has begun. They also found blood clots in his legs, adding another complication to his recovery.

An MRI taken earlier showed mildly reduced blood flow in the area of the brain that controls his right arm. She also pointed to a more concerning area, saying, “The more concerning area was the corpus callosum, which is the middle part that transmits between both sides. It shows darkening in that area, which means there will be issues sending information from one side of the brain to the other. We won’t know exactly what this entails until he starts to recover, but it will definitely be frustrating for him.”

These kinds of freak incidents are rare in track and field, but they are not without history.

Deadly throwing event accidents in track and field over the years

Back in 2005, a U.S. track and field official lost his life during practice at the national championships in Los Angeles. He was struck by a 16-pound shot put. Years later, similar tragedies appeared in other throwing events.

In 2017, student volunteer Ethan Rosfiled was the casualty at a college track meet at Wheaton College in Illinois. He was struck by a hammer during the event. Again in 2023, another incident at a college meet left Michigan runner and volunteer Marie Widmann seriously injured after she was hit by a hammer. She was left with broken ribs.

More recently, in 2025, a high school indoor track meet at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs turned tragic. Wade Langston, 57, lost his life while watching a weight throw event. He was hit by a 25-pound implement that had fallen past the certified safety barriers in the stands.

Although the incidents are few and far between, it reminds us that the sport often carries risk and needs utmost protection to avoid severe casualties.