Teen Athlete's Dad Is Killed Trying to Protect Family from Errant Hammer Throw at High School Track Meet

Mar. 15, 2025

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The weight used in the event is 16 lbs. for men and nine pounds for women in adult competition, according toESPN.

Augustas Cetkauskas/Getty

“We are heartbroken at this horrible accident and are focused on supporting all involved,” campus chancellor Jennifer Sobanet said in the university’s statement.

The El Paso County Coroner’s Office tells PEOPLE in a statement on Tuesday, Jan. 28, that the agency “will not be releasing any information until the autopsy and investigation are complete.” That investigation could last two months, they add.

Colorado Springs Police tell PEOPLE the department is “not investigating this as a criminal incident.”

Now, family members are remembering the devoted husband and loving father, who “brought laughter to every room he entered.”

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“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,” the family said in a statement, according to the reports.

“Wade was a devoted husband, loving father, cherished brother and brother-in-law, fun uncle, and an even more fun great-uncle,” the organizer wrote.

In the wake of the man’s death, one coach was in seeming shock about the circumstances of the accident.

“It just doesn’t happen,” Keenen Ballage told KRDO. “You know, like I said, this never happens.”

source: people.com