Referee Dieter Strack Killed by Javelin

Javelin Hits Dieter Strack in the Neck

German referee Dieter Strack, 74, was killed by a javelin while working at an athletics competition on August 26, 2012.

Dieter Strack was judging a javelin throw during the Wilhelm Unger Games, an annual youth athletics event in Dusseldorf, when the next contestant threw his javelin.

The javelin hit Strack in the neck. The competition was called off and the referee was rushed to a nearby hospital. However, Dieter Strack died from the injury.

The athlete who threw the fatal javelin, reportedly 17 years old, was among the athletes who received psychological counseling after the accident.