Posted on 11/06/2016 3:46:26 PM PST by BenLurkin
BRIDGEVILLE, DE (CBS) Police in Delaware are investigating an explosion at a Punkin Chunkin contest in Bridgeville, Delaware that sent a man to the hospital in critical condition.
Punkin Chunkin is a contest where teams compete to see who can chuck pumpkins the greatest distance across a field using a catapult or other mechanical device. Investigators say the explosion today involved an apparatus being used in the contest. It happened around 2:45 p.m. at the event held on Apple Tree Road.
Delaware State Troopers say the man was removed from the scene and transported to the hospital in critical condition.
No other injuries have been reported at this time.
Dear Lord. Prayers for this man.
Details at this link:
http://www.delawareonline.com/story/news/local/2016/11/06/injury-punkin-chunkin-sends-one-hospital/93394698/
Those things are amazing prayers up
Some of those pumpkin cannons use high pressure air. A tank could have blown up or something.
However, certain classes use compressed air. If a tank ruptured, flying debris could seriously injure people nearby.
Some of the classes use centripetal force, and a spinning mechanical device could fly apart.
Finally, there are classes that use stretched bands (ropes, etc.). A failure in a stretched material could cause serious injury.
Thanks for the link. That confirms it was an air cannon that malfunctioned.
Some of those air cannons use recycled propane and other pressure tanks for reservoirs. Improper welding can weaken those things.
That was Harry Roids excuse. Beat up by a rubber band. (named Guido)
The two were hurt when an air cannon went off, sending with it large pieces of material from the cannon. As people were running away from the cannon, a large piece of the cannon hit a person in the head.
Prayers up!
God grant him strength.
Harry Reid will testify to that.
From "explosion" I take it as a rupture in some pressure containing element, could even be the barrel.
There is a trap door on the cannon just past the dump valve where they load the pumpkins. According to the story, this failed allowing a catastrophic failure of the cannon.
Thanks for that. Probably an “untested” component, unlike the pressure tanks which have a well developed design, proof, inpsection and “out of service” protocol.
Agreeing in prayer for this man and his family. Amen
I’ve seen some close up photos during the incident. It looks to me as if the pumpkin was jammed in the barrel & it was a forced chamber explosion. All that air volume & pressure had to go some where & it found the weakest point in the breech.
I was there. This is a good description of what happened. Breach Failure, it was bad. She basically stepped into the shrapnel, and will surely be the last event in DE. Person was a correspondent for the Science Channel.
Please tell me it wasn;t Kari Byron
To say the least. Welding pressure vessels is one of the more heavily regulated activities in industry. All welders and weld processes are certified, and the welds carry a weld stamp identifier.
Many folks formed into prayer groups which was good to see. The decision to end the event was made within a few minutes after the Helicopter left and my mission was to get everyone out of the venue as quickly/safely as possible.
This was a terrible situation, that happened despite every precaution being taken.
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