Kid Gets Leg Blown off By Cannon [Archive]

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HBox

12-28-2006, 07:44 PM

<a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16292681/" target="_blank">And his town shuns him like a pariah.</a>The cannon shot that ripped into Brett Karch's leg, causing a gaping combat-style wound, has also torn a hole in his hometown community of Snohomish. Karch, whose leg was nearly amputated and who faces more than a year of physical rehabilitation with an uncertain outcome, has been the target of physical threats because of fears his injury will jeopardize the community's tradition of firing the ceremonial cannon before each high school football game and after touchdowns.At least they have their priorities in order.[quote]According to Karch's medical records, security guards notified police after Karch received disturbing phone calls and visits from parents and students, some of whom threatened to "break his other leg" or worse, if he didn't keep quiet about the accident. Hospital staff had to move him to a secure room where they monitored visitors. Callers and visitors told Karch they would "make sure his other leg got blown off," and that "there would be retaliation" if the family cooperated in an investigation that could end the cannon tradition, said Mary Bissel, Karch's mother. "That's when I kind of got a little upset," Karch said. The threats also included mention the family would be "banned from the town," Bissell said. She's been warned not to talk to a lawyer, or reporters.... Within seconds, medics and senior officers sprinted to his side. The team of emergency medical technicians standing by in the event of a football injury rushed Karch into a waiting ambulance. The priority on the playing field, however, was the game, which didn't stop as Karch was carried off the sidelines to an ambulance, witnesses said.... As play continued, Karch was taken to Providence Everett's Colby Campus, where doctors initially told his stunned mother they weren't sure they could save his leg. Karch has since undergone three surgeries to implant a titanium rod the length of his shin to replace the decimated bone and to graft skin over the shredded tissue. In February, doctors plan to graft bone from his hip into his leg to help it heal. "My leg was in so many pieces, it was like a jigsaw puzzle," said Karch. "If this had happened to a football player, you can be sure he would have been airlifted to Harborview," said one parent of a ROTC member, who asked not to be named for fear of reprisals. Brown, too, was shocked and later angered by the apparent lack of concern for the seriousness of Karch's injury. Rumors circulated almost immediately among students that Karch must have packed the cannon incorrectly, and some of the cards and comments have suggested that he deserved what happened to him. Karch said he didn't do anything different that night, a view shared by his ROTC leader Mack, the retired Marine Corps colonel, who said the team follows military protocols for loading and firing the cannon. Mack had the cannon X-rayed earlier this year. Fred Langer, an attorney representing the family, said those results showed a stress fracture in the metal, although it's not clear yet whether that had any bearing on the explosion. ... Since his discharge fr

PapaBear

12-28-2006, 07:48 PM

I'm speechless.

DJEvelEd

12-28-2006, 08:25 PM

Oh I'm sure this story will go national....it's got legs!        Ow!      

This message was edited by DJEvelEd on 12-29-06 @ 12:26 AM

PapaBear

12-28-2006, 08:29 PM

This is, in no way, consistent with the cannons of justice.

FUNKMAN

12-28-2006, 09:06 PM

i'd rather get my dick blown off by diane cannon than get my leg blown off by a cannonhaha<img src="http://www.nndb.com/people/964/000023895/cannon-sized.jpg" border="0" width="233" height="227" />

The Jays

12-28-2006, 09:30 PM

Ugh. I hate high school football towns.

Team_Ramrod

12-28-2006, 09:36 PM

Maybe he's a Ron and Fez fan cause it sounds like he shot that shit to the sky!

This message was edited by Team_Ramrod on 12-29-06 @ 1:37 AM

FUNKMAN

12-28-2006, 09:38 PM

Team_Ramrod wrote: Maybe he's a Ron and Fez fan cause it sounds like he shot that shit to the sky! This  to the sky or to the thigh?

DJEvelEd

12-28-2006, 10:07 PM

He not so hip anymore in that town...

MikeB

12-29-2006, 12:49 AM

Cannons and football?
<img src="http://www.conigliofamily.com/images/1960Fleer66Cannon175w.jpg">

A.J.

12-29-2006, 03:41 AM

You shouldn't fuck with Cannon.<img src="http://www.tvparty.com/bgifs16/cannon.jpg" border="0" width="200" height="297" />

cupcakelove

12-29-2006, 05:15 AM

This is pretty depressing.  It drives me nuts that people in this country would put some goofy feeling they get from setting off a cannon over the well being of other human beings.

Sheeplovr

12-29-2006, 05:57 AM

i thought the title of this thread was Kid Gets blown off by Gannon <img src="http://static.flickr.com/4/4619230_4cb8b2f034.jpg" border="0" width="369" height="284" />or<img src="http://www.ganonstower.com/gcube_lgshot06.jpg" border="0" width="382" height="286" />

Tenbatsuzen

12-29-2006, 06:04 AM

1) His leg wasn't blown off.  It's still there, and with rehab, it appears from the article he can lead a normal life. 2) Did the family think by making this public they could make the situation better? 3) Did the public think that if the kid cooperated or not that the cannon wouldn't be banned?  It seems to me that the decision is out of his hands - it's up to the school board, the insurance, etc.  It would seem now that this story has gone public you can rest assured that the cannon will probably be banned, or, at the very least, students will not be allowed to operate it.

Tenbatsuzen

12-29-2006, 06:06 AM

Another part of this article that pisses me off - one of the paragraphs indicated that the school was cold and heartless for continuing to play the game when someone who wasn't a player, coach, etc. was injured. When I was in eighth grade, a kid on my JV team broke his neck on the field.  The game continued.

pennington

12-29-2006, 10:17 AM

The people in that town are contemptible morons. The kid could have died.  He'll never be a Marine. This will affect him for the rest of his life. It's 2006, I only use my cannon for self-defense purposes only.

sailor

12-29-2006, 10:25 AM

cupcakelove wrote: This is pretty depressing. It drives me nuts that people in this country would put some goofy feeling they get from setting off a cannon over the well being of other human beings. it's also depressing that people will let one horrible accidentprevent people from enjoying a previously harmless tradition.  people get mutilated in car accidents everyday, but we don't go around banning cars.  yes, the people who threatened the kid are scum.  it's still no reason to deprive the community of something that they love.

Death Metal Moe

12-29-2006, 10:33 AM

TheJays wrote: Ugh. I hate high school football towns. Exactly.  Some stupid little town where football is all they have can suck my fucking balls.They should move to a real town and sue that backwater shit hole into oblivion.

HBox

12-29-2006, 10:33 AM

1) His leg wasn't blown off.  It's still there, and with rehab, it appears from the article he can lead normal life.It says in the first paragraph that the outcome of his physical rehab is uncertain. His is not going to be a normal life. 2) Did the family think by making this public they could make the situation better?Who gives a fuck? How much worse could the situation get? You can't negotiate with an angry mob. Fuck them. Fuck them up their stupid asses.3) Did the public think that if the kid cooperated or not that the cannon wouldn't be banned?  It seems to me that the decision is out of his hands - it's up to the school board, the insurance, etc.  It would seem now that this story has gone public you can rest assured that the cannon will probably be banned, or, at the very least, students will not be allowed to operate it.The whole story itself is quite indicative of the level of intelligence of that community. This town is a seething cauldron of ignorance. Another part of this article that pisses me off - one of the paragraphs indicated that the school was cold and heartless for continuing to play the game when someone who wasn't a player, coach, etc. was injured.When I was in eighth grade, a kid on my JV team broke his neck on the field.  The game continued.That's pretty cold and heartless too.

HBox

12-29-2006, 10:36 AM

sailor wrote: cupcakelove wrote: This is pretty depressing. It drives me nuts that people in this country would put some goofy feeling they get from setting off a cannon over the well being of other human beings. it's also depressing that people will let one horrible accidentprevent people from enjoying a previously harmless tradition. people get mutilated in car accidents everyday, but we don't go around banning cars. yes, the people who threatened the kid are scum. it's still no reason to deprive the community of something that they love. Cars provide a neccessary service. Cannons go boom and make people happy. Cars are designed to take people from one place to another. Cannons are weapons of war designed to kill as many people as possible. I don't see the comparison at all.

Cannon

12-29-2006, 10:38 AM

I didnt blow anyone

Snacks

12-29-2006, 10:52 AM

TheJays wrote: Ugh. I hate high school football towns. I love that I grew up in a football town.

Snacks

12-29-2006, 10:55 AM

Tenbatsuzen wrote: Another part of this article that pisses me off - one of the paragraphs indicated that the school was cold and heartless for continuing to play the game when someone who wasn't a player, coach, etc. was injured. When I was in eighth grade, a kid on my JV team broke his neck on the field.  The game continued. I agree with that, b/c one person got hurt and no one knew how bad it was shouldnt stop the game. Refs have had heart attacks during the game, they cart them off and continue.I feel bad for the kid, but something in this story doesnt sound right. I bet you he thought he was going to be funny or cute and over pack the cannon or something like that. But shit like this happenes when you let fake wanna be soldiers operate a fuckin weapon!!!

MadMatt

12-29-2006, 10:55 AM

Cannon wrote: I didnt blow anyone  Lock it up.  Can't beat that post.

This message was edited by MadMatt on 12-29-06 @ 2:56 PM

sailor

12-29-2006, 11:06 AM

HBox wrote: sailor wrote: cupcakelove wrote: This is pretty depressing. It drives me nuts that people in this country would put some goofy feeling they get from setting off a cannon over the well being of other human beings. it's also depressing that people will let one horrible accident prevent people from enjoying a previously harmless tradition. people get mutilated in car accidents everyday, but we don't go around banning cars. yes, the people who threatened the kid are scum. it's still no reason to deprive the community of something that they love. Cars provide a neccessary service. Cannons go boom and make people happy. Cars are designed to take people from one place to another. Cannons are weapons of war designed to kill as many people as possible. I don't see the comparison at all.  so, maybe just outlaw using cars for fun?  obviously, cars and cannons are different, i'm not saying they aren't.  you can't wrap people in bubble-wrap.  people will get hurt.  you can't protect everyone.  let them have their things to "go boom and make people happy."

HBox

12-29-2006, 11:15 AM

sailor wrote: HBox wrote: sailor wrote: cupcakelove wrote: This is pretty depressing. It drives me nuts that people in this country would put some goofy feeling they get from setting off a cannon over the well being of other human beings. it's also depressing that people will let one horrible accident prevent people from enjoying a previously harmless tradition. people get mutilated in car accidents everyday, but we don't go around banning cars. yes, the people who threatened the kid are scum. it's still no reason to deprive the community of something that they love. Cars provide a neccessary service. Cannons go boom and make people happy. Cars are designed to take people from one place to another. Cannons are weapons of war designed to kill as many people as possible. I don't see the comparison at all. so, maybe just outlaw using cars for fun? obviously, cars and cannons are different, i'm not saying they aren't. you can't wrap people in bubble-wrap. people will get hurt. you can't protect everyone. let them have their things to "go boom and make people happy." You can stop people from doing really stupid things for no reason like this. I'd be fucking incensed if I had to pay one extra cent in taxes because my school district had to pay off a kid who got his leg blown off by a cannon while they were trying to impress a bunch of mouth breathers in the stands.

sailor

12-29-2006, 12:50 PM

HBox wrote: sailor wrote: HBox wrote: Cars provide a neccessary service. Cannons go boom and make people happy. Cars are designed to take people from one place to another. Cannons are weapons of war designed to kill as many people as possible. I don't see the comparison at all. so, maybe just outlaw using cars for fun? obviously, cars and cannons are different, i'm not saying they aren't. you can't wrap people in bubble-wrap. people will get hurt. you can't protect everyone. let them have their things to "go boom and make people happy." You can stop people from doing really stupid things for no reason like this. I'd be fucking incensed if I had to pay one extra cent in taxes because my school district had to pay off a kid who got his leg blown off by a cannon while they were trying to impress a bunch of mouth breathers in the stands.  but, who decides where to draw that line?

DJEvelEd

12-29-2006, 01:20 PM

I'll attempt to draw a line:Do any of these kids have a license to use explosives? Maybe that should be done. Also X-Raying the cannon every year and replacing it every 5 years regardless of stress fractures may help. Have your stupid football cannon, but have everyone trained & licensed in safety first. This town needs to change their attitude because they're getting sued big time and they need to start getting more media support, not less.

TheMojoPin

12-29-2006, 03:00 PM

sailor wrote: HBox wrote: sailor wrote: HBox wrote: Cars provide a neccessary service. Cannons go boom and make people happy. Cars are designed to take people from one place to another. Cannons are weapons of war designed to kill as many people as possible. I don't see the comparison at all. so, maybe just outlaw using cars for fun? obviously, cars and cannons are different, i'm not saying they aren't. you can't wrap people in bubble-wrap. people will get hurt. you can't protect everyone. let them have their things to "go boom and make people happy." You can stop people from doing really stupid things for no reason like this. I'd be fucking incensed if I had to pay one extra cent in taxes because my school district had to pay off a kid who got his leg blown off by a cannon while they were trying to impress a bunch of mouth breathers in the stands.  but, who decides where to draw that line?How hard and not insane would it be to say "no operating weapons of war on school property?"

Snoogans

12-29-2006, 03:23 PM

Another part of this article that pisses me off - one of the paragraphs indicated that the school was cold and heartless for continuing to play the game when someone who wasn't a player, coach, etc. was injured.When I was in eighth grade, a kid on my JV team broke his neck on the field.  The game continued.That's pretty cold and heartless too. and even still, that was a football injury that happened during a football game. That happens alot more then most people think, and is viewed as a part of the game and a risk you assume playing. Getting part of your leg blown off by a cannon is not part of the game.

Snoogans

12-29-2006, 03:27 PM

and not to say i dont agree with some points against the majority. I actually also think they should continue to use the cannon. Now the people will know the risk and if they want to take it, thats fine. But also, have some fuckin regard for people's well being if their is a problem. Like it said in the article, they didnt even stopp the game during the time to get him out. They didnt treat him even as good as a football player would have gotten even they they also woulda kept playin. This time they just acted like nothing happened and didnt even bat an eye

Bulldogcakes

12-29-2006, 05:04 PM

I blame ACDC for giving these kids ideas.

Bulldogcakes

12-29-2006, 05:06 PM

Callers and visitors told Karch they would "make sure his other leg got blown off," and that "there would be retaliation" if the family cooperated in an investigation that could end the cannon tradition, said Mary Bissel, Karch's mother. "That's when I kind of got a little upset," Karch said. THATS when he got upset? Not when he had a cannonball sticking out of his leg?

Tenbatsuzen

05-22-2011, 07:49 PM

StanUpshaw

05-22-2011, 08:04 PM

To put a bow on this story, because I was curious about it:

http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20090327/NEWS01/703279855

Long story short:

1) Kid got over 1/2 a million in settlement money.

2) The cannon itself blew apart, and he got hit by shrapnel; not a cannon ball.

3) The "threats" were apparently part of an on-going neighborhood dispute, not because of the football team.

However, I was right on one thing: Cannon tradition was immediately stopped.

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TripleSkeet

05-22-2011, 09:11 PM

A. Good for him for getting as much money as he could.

B. Fuck Snohomish and their shit eating high school football traditions.

C. If I was that kids father, every man, woman or teenager that harrassed my son while in the hospital with that injury would have recieved a superman punch dead in the face.

cougarjake13

05-23-2011, 04:58 PM

nice money but still sux losing the leg

hanso

05-23-2011, 10:13 PM

He should join the circus and be the human cannonball.

Tenbatsuzen

05-23-2011, 10:23 PM

nice money but still sux losing the leg

He didn't lose the leg.