TX - Teen dies after impaling self on horn of bull sculpture while playing at 3 a.m.

[wfgodot]

Boy, 14, impales himself on horn of bull sculpture and dies while playing hide-and-seek with friends. (Daily Mail)

A 14-year-old Texas boy has died in a freak accident after accidentally impaling himself through the chest on the horn of a bull sculpture.

Police say Miguel Martinez was playing hide-and-seek about 3am on Saturday in front of the National Ranching Heritage Center on the campus of Texas Tech University in Lubbock.

In the excitement of the game, he ran into the pointed horn of a bull sculpture outside the museum. The metal horn pierced him through the chest.
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The ranching museum features a display of five life-size bull statues on the lawn outside its main entrance.

The long, curved horns on three of bulls are pointed outward.
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more, with pictures of the sculptures, at link above

 

[miimaa]

Horrible but I wonder about the playing hide-n-seek at 3:00 a.m.

 

[Gardenlady]

Teenagers... Good grief. The poor family.

 

[CanManEh]

Tragic forsure but come'on people you do all see the ironee here right..you know the old saying if your gonna mess with the bull you get the horns kinda ironee...I can't be the only one to have thought it ..

 

[Oblio]

Horrible but I wonder about the playing hide-n-seek at 3:00 a.m.

For a teenager on summer break, it sounds pretty normal to me.

 

[Gypsy Road]

Wow...how tragic! Poor kid! Poor family!

I wonder if the bull will be removed now. I can't image walking by that thing every day after knowing what happened.

 

[Cappuccino]

Sounds like kind of a dangerous thing to have on the front lawn anyway. Horrible way to go, and only fourteen. Sad case.

 

[Sonya610]

Sounds like kind of a dangerous thing to have on the front lawn anyway. Horrible way to go, and only fourteen. Sad case.

It was in front of a huge museum, the statues had lights on them so they were very visible. Removing the statues because people decide to trespass on the Museum property at 3 am and hurt themselves by running into things is ridiculous, they are beautiful works of art.

Regardless I am sure new safety precautions will now be in order. Nova should be along soon to offer some suggestions and point out any liability issues that the Museum should faulted for.

 

[TrackerSam]

It was in front of a huge museum, the statues had lights on them so they were very visible. Removing the statues because people decide to trespass on the Museum property at 3 am and hurt themselves by running into things is ridiculous, they are beautiful works of art.

Regardless I am sure new safety precautions will now be in order. Nova should be along soon to offer some suggestions and point out any liability issues that the Museum should faulted for.

You really can't protect people from themselves.

 

[miimaa]

For a teenager on summer break, it sounds pretty normal to me.

Not any kid of mine it wouldn't be

 

[Elley Mae]

I can not think of one reason for a 14 yr old to be out at 3 a.m. not one.

 

[Gardenlady]

Teenagers sneak out. Break their curfew. Stay out way too late. Always have, always will. Even the "good" kids did and do.

Doesn't have to be a parents' fault.

 

[thefragile7393]

Not any kid of mine it wouldn't be

Kids do all sorts of things they don't tell parents about. Many sneak in and out of the house and the parent is none the wiser

Sent from my SGH-T989 using Tapatalk 2

 

[thefragile7393]

Teenagers sneak out. Break their curfew. Stay out way too late. Always have, always will. Even the "good" kids did and do.

Doesn't have to be a parents' fault.

This was me for sure lol.

Sent from my SGH-T989 using Tapatalk 2

 

[txsvicki]

I've never been to the heritage center to know if the teens had to climb over a gate or fence to get to the entrance, but it's set up like an old frontier area with some old houses and displays. It's not the art museum. Those horns looks dangerous.

 

[Donjeta]

That is not how anyone in the world imagined himself dying.

 

[txsvicki]

There's a whole older neighborhood across the highway in the pic. The university shut off a main avenue that for years and years led to the neighborhood. Now they have to drive further to two other avenues just to get out of their neighborhood. I doubt if the university will be sued. Edited: after looking on the news site and jumping to conclusions that kids had snuck out: The boy was with adults and a friend. His mother was out of town. It was at the entrance where their walk ended. No trespassing mentioned at all. He seems to have tripped over a light by the longhorn statue. So sad.

 

[miimaa]

Had been staying with a friend
link

Article says they all (including friend's family) went for walk at 3 a.m.

 

[Betty P]

Since astronomical twilight (total darkness) comes at 10:30 pm this time of year in that area, would it have not been his fault if he had been walking in the area at that hour? I'm not sure how the time makes a difference. It was a tragic accident, not the victim's fault.

 

[Inspector Gidget]

A sad way to die,but the fact is they should have never been walking around at 3:00 am
in the morning.I am sure they were other dangers out there besides the bull.The university will not be sued this was clearly trespassing as the museum was closed.