Highland Games horror as man killed instantly by 22lb hammer in freak accident

Tragedy struck at a Highland Games contest when a visitor to a castle where the event was being staged was killed by a 22-pound hammer flung by a competitor.

The 65-year-old was hit by the projectile after it flow over a hedge at Geldrop Castle near Eindhoven in the Netherlands, with the incident now the subject of a police investigation, The Express newspaper reports.    

One witness told reporters: "The pendulum dropped, we saw the ball go over the hedge and then we heard a woman screaming very loudly.

An air ambulance was scrambled to the scene along with other emergency services - but it was too late, as the man was already dead, killed instantly by the force of the blow.

The throwing event is a traditional feature of Highland Games, involving a wooden pole with a metal ball attached to it, which competitors swing around their heads before throwing as far as possible.

The ball in question weighs six pounds more than the one used by men in the Olympics and other athletics events.

The event was halted immediately after the tragedy, as horrified spectators looked on.

The witness added: "When things went wrong, some people from the organisation immediately ran to the victim. They started CPR."

Another explained: "We weren't allowed to stand where the ball landed in the event field.

"But people could walk behind the hedge. At the bottom it was open, so we saw their feet and strollers, which they walked past. We were amazed at that beforehand."

The second witness stressed: "The boy who swung the ball was completely upset.

"He was not a rookie, but really a top player, who had already participated in big competitions before."

Adri Geerts, chairman of organisers Foundation Village Marketing Geldrop-Mierlo, told local media: "We are flabbergasted that something like this can happen.