Tag: accident

Surfer dies after bizarre incident involving leaping needlefish

Italy’s Giulia Manfrini was sitting on her board waiting for waves in Indonesia when the fish came flying out of the water.

The surfing community is mourning the passing of Italy’s Giulia Manfrini, who died last month after being struck in the chest by a leaping needlefish.

The bizarre incident occurred Oct. 18 as Manfrini, 36, sat on her board waiting for waves at a remote Mentawai Islands surf spot in Indonesia.

According to Hidden Bay Resort, where Manfrini had been staying, the surfer “died almost immediately” after being struck by the fish and, subsequently, a set of large waves.

Needlefish are long and slender and possess extremely sharp teeth. They prey on smaller, schooling fish and occasionally leap at high speeds while trying to ambush prey.

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The Inertia, a surfing publication, stated that Manfrini was “impaled” by the needlefish at Beng Bengs surf spot.

“She screamed, which caught the attention of the other surfers at the peak, then fell off her board,” The Inertia wrote. “The other surfers immediately paddled over to help, but were swept away by a large set.”

Needlefish photo courtesy of Wikipedia

Alexandre Ribas, part-owner of Hidden Bay Resort, witnessed the incident and recalled to The Inertia:

“The surfers who helped her said that there was a lot of blood and that, as the waves approached, she took one last look and fainted just before [the waves] hit her.”

The surfers got Manfrini to the beach but attempts to revive the surfer were unsuccessful.

Said Ribas: “We took Giulia to the hospital in the village of Pei Pei. When we got there, the doctor in charge told us that she was already lifeless and that nothing could be done.”

The drive from the beach to Pei Pei lasted seven minutes.

The incident underscores the risks surfers must weigh while considering travel to remote destinations with limited capabilities to deal with medical emergencies.

Promising Australian golfer issues update on lost vision in his left eye in freak accident: ‘All I can see is black’

The 20-year-old Australian golfer was struck in the eye and transported to a hospital.

Jeff Guan, a talented up-and-coming pro, has no vision in his left eye after a freak accident on a golf course in Australia in September.

Three holes into his round at a pro-am event at the New South Wales Open at Catalina Club in Batemans Bay, New South Wales, the 20-year-old Australian golfer was struck in the eye and transported to a hospital before being airlifted to an eye specialist in Canberra and later to a hospital in Sydney.

“Nothing. It’s just black. All I can see is black,” Guan told Australian Golf Digest in his first interview since the incident in September.

Guan also wrote a long post on his social media account. “I remember this: As my whole group teed off on the third tee, my playing partner and I (whom I shared the cart with) hit our drives on the right-hand side of the fairway.”

They drove off to their balls and Guan’s partner hit his second shot and then Guan did the same. He was struck by an errant shot as he was putting his club back in his bag.

“The instant ringing and pain rushed to my head, and I dropped to the ground,” he wrote.

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Guan has undergone several operations on his left eye and spent time in multiple hospitals, where some of the top vitreoretinal surgeons have tried to save his eye after the force of the blow fractured his eye socket and traumatized his eyeball. His recovery is expected to take between six months to a year. One promising sign: three weeks after the incident, his eye pressure decreased.

“Though this was the first piece of positive news, my doctors told me that my injury was severe,” he wrote. “During my nights in hospital, I almost drowned in thoughts about the injury and my future in the sport. Not only was I utterly distraught by the news I had received, but the whole situation made me very depressed and somewhat angry … The frustration is unbearable. Why did this happen? How in the world am I supposed to recover, return, and be the same player I was, or even better?”

Just a week earlier, Guan who won the 2022 AJGA Junior Players at TPC Sawgrass and represented Australia on the Junior Presidents Cup team the same year, made his PGA Tour debut at the Procore Championship in Napa, California, missing the cut.

Guan ended his post with some words of optimism. “As a kid, I have always had a lot of perseverance and persistence. I will continue to work hard and do my best to achieve my dream,” he said. “I will be back.”

You can show your support for Guan here: asf.org.au/projects/jeffr

6-year-old boy dies in South Carolina hunting accident

The boy was struck by a shotgun pellet while positioned in an elevated hunting stand.

Authorities in South Carolina have determined that the shooting death of a 6-year-old boy during a hunting trip Friday was an accident.

The South Carolina Department of Natural Resources has not released the boy’s name or many details because the incident remains under investigation.

However, the agency did state via social media that the boy was struck by what appears to have been a stray shotgun pellet while positioned in an elevated stand.

The shot was fired by a hunter on the ground.

The incident occurred Friday morning in Orangeburg County.

–Generic hunting image courtesy of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Former Saints Pro Bowler Jimmy Graham injured in Miami cycling accident

Former Saints Pro Bowler Jimmy Graham was injured after being struck by a car while cycling in Miami, but he expects to make a full recovery:

What’s Jimmy Graham up to these days? The fan-favorite former New Orleans Saints Pro Bowler is becoming something of a world traveler, having earned his pilot license and taken up small-aircraft flying as a hobby when he was still wearing black and gold. His old friend A.J. Hawk shared an update on the Pat McAfee Show this week, adding that Graham expects to make a full recovery after being injured in a Miami car accident.

Since shifting his focus away from football and towards other pursuits, Graham has taken up sailing and professional cycling, and Hawk says he’s currently training to sail around the world within the year. But those plans have been interrupted by a gnarly injury after being struck by a car while out on his bike.

Hawk described a nasty muscle injury to Graham’s calf, saying of the accident, “He was riding his bike down in Miami yesterday, or two days ago, he says a car turns left, hits him, takes him out. He says he did more damage to the car than the car did to him.”

Graham commented on the accident himself after Hawk broke the news, saying on Instagram that, “My body has certainly built up a callus for punishment over the years. I’ll be fine. Stay safe out there.”

Here’s to a speedy recovery for the former Saints standout. Graham won Pro Bowl and All-Pro recognition with the Saints in 2011 and 2013, though a contract dispute frayed his relationship with the team and head coach Sean Payton, prompting his trade to the Seattle Seahawks in 2015. He bounced around the league for a few years after that, spending time with the Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears, but he’s been out of the league since 2021. From the sounds of it, he’s determined to see the world and enjoy his retirement from pro football. We’ll wish him the best.

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Watch: Man knocked overboard by lunge-feeding whale

A passenger aboard a whale-watching boat in South Africa was knocked overboard Sunday when a Bryde’s whale bumped the vessel while lunge-feeding on sardines.

A passenger aboard a whale-watching boat in South Africa was knocked overboard Sunday when a Bryde’s whale bumped the vessel while feeding on sardines.

The man, who was thrown a life vest and helped back onto the boat, was not injured.

A spokeswoman for Raggy Charters in Port Elizabeth told For The Win Outdoors that the whale also seemed to be OK and “continued feeding” after the incident.



The accompanying footage begins with dolphins feeding during early stages of the seasonal sardine run, a mass migration that attracts voracious predators large and small.

Viewers can hear the whale’s bump at 1:17. Moments later the whale erupts at the surface in a lunge-feeding display just inches from the boat, causing the man to fall overboard.

RELATED: Tourist: ‘I was sprayed on purpose’ by gray whale in Baja lagoon; video

“Dad! Dad?” a woman cries to her father, who begins swimming toward the boat. “Are you OK, dad?” A few second’s later, more calmly: “Dad’s overboard.”

The man received assistance from another vessel’s crew but was ultimately reunited with his daughter and fellow passengers.

Raggy Charters began its Facebook post with the title: “Sardine Run starts with a Bang.”

The description, written by naturalist Lloyd Edwards, begins:

“I guess it is something that we always fear and try our level best to avoid during the last 23 years. When a whale hits a whale-watching boat, there can always be damage. This time we were extremely lucky.”

The vessel was traveling parallel to feeding dolphins when the schooled-up sardines and dolphins suddenly veered in front of the boat.

“We could see them eating sardines that were being chased under the boat,” Edwards continued. “We immediately put the outboards into neutral but left them running. This allows whales to still be able to hear us.”

At this moment the collision occurred, followed by the breaching Bryde’s whale, and the rescue effort.

Edwards recalled: “I was filming from the platform on top of the cabin when all of a sudden it felt like we had been hit by another boat. Then the next minute this Bryde’s whale came breaching out of the water above my eye level. I have never seen a lunge feed so high out of the water!”

Port Elizabeth is in South Africa’s Eastern Cape Province. The sardine run along the country’s eastern shore is expected to last several weeks.

Report: Tiger Woods was driving to meet Drew Brees before car accident

ESPN reports that Tiger Woods was headed for a meeting with Saints QB Drew Brees and Chargers QB Justin Herbert before his car accident.

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ESPN’s Shelley Smith reports that pro golf living legend Tiger Woods was headed for a meeting with New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees and Los Angeles Chargers passer Justin Herbert before his tragic car crash on Tuesday, with the trio planning to play a round of golf before participating in a photoshoot.

The single-car accident was a very frightening situation for Woods. His vehicle rolled over and first responders reportedly had to use the “jaws of life” hydraulic tool to free him from the wreckage before he was rushed to a local hospital for surgery. His representatives shared details of his injuries on Twitter, which included several broken bones as well as tissue and muscle damage.

Here’s hoping for a full recovery. It’s very much a career-threatening hurdle for Woods, 45, who is tied for the most PGA Tour wins and ranks second all-time in men’s major championships. He’s an even bigger titan in his sport than Brees is in football.

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