A father killed by a 25lbs weight thrown at a track meet would have survived if the fieldhouse fixed numerous safety lapses, witnesses claim.
Wade Langston, 57, died when the large ball struck him at the Colorado United Track Club event at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs on Sunday.
He is believed to have been killed almost instantly as he blocked the weight from hitting his wife Ronda Langston and their 17-year-old son Colin.
A dozen witnesses, competitors, and two coaches told DailyMail.com numerous safety measures at the Mountain Lion Fieldhouse were not up to scratch.
This was despite the university hastily declaring Langston died after the stray throwing weight ‘cleared certified barriers’.
The track club also made a fundraiser for Langston’s family within an hour of his name being released by the El Paso County coroner.
Langston was seated on a row of three bleachers facing away from the weight throw field, and only saw the weight coming towards him at the last moment when spectators shouted in alarm.
Photos of the event obtained by DailyMail.com showed safety nets only standing 12ft high covering part of the spectating area, and angled to align with the back of the bleachers – not towards the throwing circle.
Wade Langston, 57, (pictured with his son in an old photo) died when the large ball struck him at the Colorado United Track Club event at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs
Witnesses said the errant throw went straight over the net and landed in the bleachers, fatally striking Langston in the head.
The rest of the field was sectioned off using wooden hurdles repurposed from running tracks, with spectators sitting right behind them.
Christopher Burris, a track and field coach in Colorado Springs who regularly trains and competes at the fieldhouse, condemned the entire setup.
‘The ring and weight throwing area is atrocious. UCCS spent a lot of money on that facility but [that part] is absolutely trash. It’s so sketchy,’ he said.
‘This is so unacceptable. There isn’t enough protection, the nets are not high enough, the area itself is too small. It wasn’t set up correctly.
‘Just a total fail by UCCS and on top of that, for a large event like that, they were not even prepared for disaster. No medical kits, no medical personnel at the event. Event planning nightmare.’
Burris said the nets were also not strong enough to stop a weight traveling at more than 20mph and needed to be a lot better for high school events.
‘Those kids miss a lot, they are not pros they are still learning. They needed larger, stronger steel built cages with nets designed for all levels of throwing,’ he said.
Langston (center) is believed to have been killed almost instantly as he blocked the weight from hitting his wife Ronda Langston (left) and their 17-year-old son Colin (right)
Field events like hammer and weight throwing are set up with nets almost surrounding the athlete like a cage, to prevent wild throws.
Competitors throw through a small opening in front of them, and additional barriers to the side protect spectators within the radius the weight could fly to.
Burris said the fieldhouse should have used a cage that was anchored to the roof and floor, and the same for nets protecting spectators so there was no chance the weight could clear them.
‘Typically they are anchored because if a heavy weight traveling at 20mph slams into them, the nets have to be strong enough to stop that force and completely,’ he said.
A coach at the university, who asked not to be named, said such safety measures couldn’t be taken because of the facility’s design.
‘The protective cage around the throwing ring can’t physically be set up correctly because the building constraints and poor planning,’ they said.
‘The chancellor was very quick to say [Langston was hit] over certified barriers. There’s nothing certified about that side of the sector.
‘The netting was right next to the out-of-bounds line and the bleachers had their backs to the throws area. Same setup as their college meet the day before.
‘This dad shouldn’t have died. And I know that.’
Langston was seated on a row of three bleachers facing away from the weight throw field and only saw the weight coming towards him at the last moment
A teenager who competed in the event explained how the nets put up behind the bleachers were the lowest they had seen in their six years of competing.
‘The net didn’t cover any of the bleachers, it was angled the wrong way. Their barricades were hurdles, and the nets weren’t taller than 12ft,’ they said.
‘My heart goes out to his kid who watched their dad die, and the family. As well as the thrower who I can imagine will be in therapy for years to come.
‘This was seriously traumatizing and there should be more regulations around throwing facilities, as accidents like this, while not common, do happen.’
Another athlete who competed at a college-level event the previous day described the setup as ‘precarious’.
‘The 60m finish literally stops about 15m before the left sector of the throws area, and they just have a couple of hurdles acting as a barrier,’ he said.
‘Just a little farther than that is some bleachers that obviously weren’t protected enough.’
A spectator who watched the accident described how the weight easily cleared the low net, and heard that a near-miss happened the same way an earlier event.
‘The netting was low, and looked like netting you would put up behind a lacrosse net. it didn’t go all the way to the ceiling, completely insufficient,’ they said.
‘Several people couldn’t believe they had it set up like that.’
A parents of one of the competitors claimed organizers were warned by people concerned about the placement of the bleachers, and the height of the nets.
The nets only covering part of the spectating area, and angled to align with the bleachers (top left) – not towards the throwing circle. The rest of the field was sectioned off using hurdles
After Langston was hit, spectators were forced to step in and try to save his life as there were no medical staff.
‘They had no EMS or even a first aid kid on sight so people started CPR and lots called 911, they laid the man on the ground and then started CPR, and the paramedics took over 10 minutes to respond,’ one competitor said.
Another spectator said those trying to treat Langston struggled to find medical supplies.
‘They kept calling for the most basic things included in any decent med kit – shears, suction bulb, latex gloves,’ they said.
‘The best they could come up with was a box of latex gloves. EMS wasn’t staged or on standby and took almost 20 minutes to show up.
‘How could the organizers not care enough about the athletes and spectators to even provide a medical first aid kit? Injuries are highly foreseeable.’
When the fieldhouse was finally evacuated, spectators said they had to walk past Langston’s body – still lying near the bleachers.
‘This gave a lot of people (including myself) a good glimpse at what 25lb metal ball going several miles an hour can do to you, and are reminded of how fragile the human body and life is,’ one said.
The boy who threw the weight that killed Langston has not been identified, but fellow competitors said he was a talented athlete.
‘I know the kid who did it. He’s an absolute powerhouse, and was looking to throw in college,’ one said.
‘He’s unbelievably strong. I imagine he was able to clear a barrier that others probably couldn’t have.’
Langston worked as a casualty claims adjuster for USAA insurance, and grew up in Lubbock, Texas, before moving to Colorado in the late 1990s.
He was at the event to watch his son race for Vista Ridge High School in Colorado Springs.
Shocked spectators who were narrowly missed by the deadly projectile screamed in panic and started calling 911.
‘The amount of blood was horrific,’ one witness said.
‘I’m devastated for the family and just furious at the incompetence and carelessness of UCCS. I saw someone die today and it was completely unnecessary.’
A panorama of the field on a different day, showing the throwing cage to the right, the track to the left, and the spot where the bleachers were set up marked with an X
Langston’s family said they appreciated the outpouring of support, which has raised more than $19,000 to send his son to university.
‘Wade was a devoted husband, loving father, cherished brother and brother-in-law, fun uncle, and an even more fun great-uncle,’ they said in a statement.
‘He was a truly wonderful person who brought laughter to every room he entered with his great sense of humor.
‘There are no words to express the depth of our sorrow, but we are clinging tightly to the memories, laughter and love that we shared with Wade.
‘Our thoughts and prayers are with all others impacted by this tragedy.’
Langston was also mourned online by friends and parents of other athletes, and called ‘a great dad and friend’.
‘We met him in the Spring when we were both cheering our boys on competing. He seemed like a great dad right down on the fence line with us,’ one wrote.
Another added: ‘My son and others there are in shock. The son runs with my son and we knew the dad as well. A senseless death.’
A third added: ‘I personally knew the man well, and I’m close friends with his son. I simply can’t imagine what he’s going through right now.
‘From what I’ve heard about the amount of blood it must’ve been horrible.’
A photo of the throwing cage before the event began on Sunday morning
A weight throw differs from a hammer throw in that it lacks the long chain used to spin the ball around before releasing it, and is much heavier. Instead, it consists of a metal ball attached to a triangle-shaped grip (file photo)
A weight throw differs from a hammer throw in that it lacks the long chain used to spin the ball around before releasing it, and is much heavier.
Instead, it consists of a metal ball attached to a triangle-shaped grip. Combined with the increased weight, it can’t be thrown nearly as far and so can be used at indoor events. Hammer throwing competitions are never held indoors.
Emergency crews from the Colorado Springs Fire Department were dispatched immediately, but he was pronounced dead at the scene.
Police said they were not investigating Langston’s death as a criminal matter.
University officials said Langston was hit by a ‘stray throwing weight’ that ‘cleared certified barriers’.
‘We are heartbroken at this horrible accident and are focused on supporting all involved,’ UCCS Chancellor Jennifer Sobanet said.
The university declined to comment when asked for a response to the concerns of spectators, athletes, and coaches about the fieldhouse safety measures.
