Stunt tragedy kills student
A Wadham student was thrown to his death on Sunday, after participating in a stunt known as the 'human catapult' which went tragically wrong.
Dino Yankov, a nineteen-year old Bulgarian biochemistry fresher travelled to Middlemoor Water Park in Somerset to take part in the Human Catapult Club's event, with twenty other members of dangerous sports club the Oxford Stunt Factory.
The fifty-foot trebuchet, a replica of a medieval siege engine, is designed to fire a person one hundred feet through the air onto a safety net "the size of a tennis court". However, Dino missed the net by inches. He was conscious on impact but sustained serious leg and spinal injuries at the scene. A helicopter airlifted him to Bristol's Frenchay hospital where he died five hours later, at 7.30 p.m.
David Aitkenhead, who built the catapult said "it is impossible to say" what went wrong, "it had been tested, all the safety checks and test weights had been done," although he had warned students before they took part that it was an "extreme activity" and not guaranteed to be safe. Two years ago, 45-year old Stella Young broke her pelvis doing the human catapult, when she bounced out of he safety net. The catapult may not be used again.
Avon and Somerset police are continuing their inquiries into the death but no conclusions have as yet been made. A spokesperson told the OxStu that "we have met with the Health and Safety Executive and officials from the Sedgmore district council, and as a result police enquiries are ungoing."
A meeting was held in Wadham's JCR on Monday, informing students of the tragic events. The Dean, James Morwood described the medical care Dino received as "magnificent" and told students that Dino's friends had been with him during his final hours. The young student's parents have not yet said whether the funeral will be held in Oxford or in Bulgaria, however Wadham's chaplain Harriet Harris said that she anticipated holding a memorial service for him before the end of term.
The Oxford Stunt Factory, with whom Dino was travelling, was formed in 1989. It is not a registered university association, but attracts many student from both Oxford and Brookes. A committee member Ding Boston has said "we are all totally devastated. Our thoughts are with his family and friends both here in Oxford and at home in Bulgaria." The society are currently in the process of establishing a fund in Dino's memory.
28th Nov 2002