A 19-year-old OXford University Student died when he was sent flying through the air in a trebuchet and missed the safety net. He was part of an extreme sports club at the university.
Some members of the stunt club were intended to complete jumps wearing fancy dress costumes, but after the first jump were told by instructors to remove any capes they were wearing which could slow down jumpers through the air.
He said that prior to Mr Yankov’s jump, the weights that control the length of the jump were altered on the trebuchet.
Describing Mr Yankov’s jump he said: “At some stage I saw Dino as a ball in the air. He then missed the safety net, but I couldn’t say by how much.
“As he hit the ground I heard a thud and then a second thud.”
Paramedics rushed to the scene and Mr Yankov was taken to Bristol’s Frenchay hospital where he later died.
This is why my siege weaponry experiments are limited to flinging peas from a spoon. Link