Photo: Instagram
Sports can be dangerous, of course, but no one expected THIS.
By Beth El Fattal — Written on May 12, 2019
Elija Godwin was your average college student. Involved in track at the University of Georgia, freshman Godwin was attending a practice last Tuesday when he was impaled by a javelin accidentally. Though this accident was crazy, it is just that, an accident. Here's the facts of the incident and some important details about the athlete impaled with a javelin. Who is Elija Godwin?
1. The team was in the middle of a practice when he was injured
In fact, Godwin was actively doing backwards sprints when he tripped and fell backwards onto the javelin that was sticking out of the ground. The Director of the Sports Program was quick to confirm that no one had been throwing the javelin that impaled Godwin, ensuring that no false rumors were spread about the incident.
2. He didn't actually feel the javelin when he hit it
Godwin said he didn't actually feel the javelin and recalled thinking to himself, "Ah, man, that got me, I shouldn't have been late to practice,' stuff like that. But then I knew it was bad because of the blood I was spitting out of my mouth. That's when I realized the seriousness of the situation." This kind of adrenaline in a dangerous situation isn't uncommon, but it's still surprising that the young athlete failed to even feel the impact of the javelin entering his body.
3. He was hospitalized
First responders had to manually saw the back half of the javelin off of Godwin in order to transport him to a local hospital. Luckily, they were able to surgically remove the rest without any complications. In fact, his doctors said that the javelin narrowly avoided several major arteries and his heart. Even so, the puncture was about 5-6 inches deep and ended up entering and collapsing his left lung. The Director of the Sports Program praised the first responders for arriving so quickly and working efficiently to help Godwin and get him to the help he needed.
4. Godwin is expected to make a full recovery
At this point, Godwin is out for this season. His surgery may have gone smoothly, but the recovery will take some time. However, he is expected to be back in 2020 at full strength. This story easily could have been much worse, but thanks to a little luck and quick response time, Godwin will be able to make a full recovery.
5. He is in recovery in good spirits now
Although Godwin is still hospitalized and recovering, he is also taking the hit pretty well. He shared some disappointment about being out for the season, but was able to rally some laughter about the incident, even saying he didn't care about who's javelin it was and didn't feel this was a case of negligence. He then jokingly said "Whoever it belonged to, it ain't theirs anymore. It's in pieces now." The only other thing he expressed disappointment about was forgetting to ask to keep the pieces of the javelin as they removed it.
Beth Al Fattal is an editorial intern at YourTango.