Teen killed by paintball tank....First pball related death?

[Automaggin2]

Article dosnt say much:


Paint-ball gun explodes, killing a Lacey teenager

LACEY, Thurston County — A Lacey teenager has died from injuries suffered in an accident with a paint-ball gun.

Brandon Johnson was playing at a friend's house when he went to change the gun's carbon-dioxide cartridge and it exploded and struck him in the head.







http://archives.seattletimes.nwsource.com/cgi-bin/texis.cgi/web/vortex/display?slug=dige14m&date=20030614&query=teenager%2C+exploded

[minimag187]

I wonder what the cause of this was, if the tank didnt have the valve installed right, or there was damage on the tank etc. I think there have been a few other accidents involving explosion or fittings flying off the tank.:(

[LIGHTEMUP]

wow that really sucks
see everyone nitro is safer than co2

[GhillieGuy]

wow, maybee so, it prolly got overfilled or it was too hot out..

[minimag187]

Most likely it was overfilled and hot out and the burst disk for some reason wouldnt take its roll, but who knows.

[CoFFeY[NiTrO]]

Probably some kid who thought he was a rebel because he never got his tank hydroed?

[sniper1rfa]

the only reason he would be changing his tank in the middle of a game would be twelve grams...


i betcha he took a semi full 12G to the head.

[GhillieGuy]

Originally posted by sniper1rfa
the only reason he would be changing his tank in the middle of a game would be twelve grams...


i betcha he took a semi full 12G to the head.
That is the most reasonable explanation iv'e heard yet..

[frgood]

You guys are brutal!
No matter what safety precautions may or may not have happened, death is a pretty permanent outcome.

That said It does bring home that there are some rules to function within. I would hope the lessons learned will help remind people that as fun as this sport is, proper care and maintenance of our equipment will let us have fun and not die.

[Frank (the spank)]

Says it was a "carbon-dioxide cartridge"

See? I had a problem with Wal-mart selling cheap *** plastic paintball guns that use CO2's since day 1. Crap like this will happen..

They don't last long because they are so cheap and they are sold to ignorant parents. I took my cousin and her friends to a field a few weeks ago to play for the first time. One of her friends moms goes "oh my Son does paintballs oooh bring him"

So everyone rents a spyder clone and this kid is playing with a clear blue cartridge c02 pump gun that flung paint at 112fps.. every game the other team would just run up behind him and say "you're out man..." and wouldn't even take a shot.. lol. Wal-Mart hurts paintball with crap like this. I can see all the stupid soccer moms now protesting at evil make believe war games and they will show how easy it is to just go to Wal-Mart and buy a "gun replica".

Opra is gonna sit down on her steps and look into the camera.. and show.. the horrer.. of "paintball war games". then they'll have the crying mother "he.. said all his friends diid it.. it was just a game.. he worked real hard so he could buy the war gun... he use to collect cans for money and donate to kids with Cancer so they could buy balloons.. now he's dead.. because of war paintballs.."

[Ultimator]

I highly doubt a 12 gram would pack the force necessary to kill someone. My bet is that he was trying to unscrew the tank from the ASA but wasn't paying attention and was unscrewing the valve from the CO2 tank. I've seen this happen before in the shop I work at. Doc (smokee_27 here on AO) was unscrewing a CO2 tank from a rental and we all heard a pop. He looked down and realized he was unscrewing the valve from the tank. Good thing he caught that or a couple people could've been hurt or killed. God only knows what would've happend if that tank flew around and hit one of the valves on one of the huge bulk cylinders we have around.

[frgood]

Frank you make an excellent case....

What is a good solution? Restriction of 'plastic' guns'?
Or perhaps focusing on the air supply. Aren't the 12 grams used not only in paintball and air guns. I would think 12 grams have some sort of shelf life. I'm guessing here but are there any regs regarding small tiny conatiners filled with compressed gasses.

Part of me is glad to see paiontball equipment for sale in Wal-Marts, and Fry's Electronics. but the flip side is as you point out. Mass consumerism produces a lot of sub standard and thus potnetially dangerous products.
But if you think about it other items sold can be just as lethal. Cleaning products (swallows by minors), all those toys they list and dangerous at Christmas, The automotive section. And let's not mention the hardware department.

Yes, people are going to take advantage the tragedy to further their own private agneda. I'm not sure what the best response is anymore.

[Wc Keep]

Originally posted by Ultimator
I highly doubt a 12 gram would pack the force necessary to kill someone. My bet is that he was trying to unscrew the tank from the ASA but wasn't paying attention and was unscrewing the valve from the CO2 tank. I've seen this happen before in the shop I work at. Doc (smokee_27 here on AO) was unscrewing a CO2 tank from a rental and we all heard a pop. He looked down and realized he was unscrewing the valve from the tank. Good thing he caught that or a couple people could've been hurt or killed. God only knows what would've happend if that tank flew around and hit one of the valves on one of the huge bulk cylinders we have around.

we were at practice one night and i was unscrewing my 68 3000 psi tank that was full from my gun. we were having a team meeting so i was trying to do two things at once so i wasnt paying attention to how hard it was to take off my tank. when i also heard a pop and noticed my reg being unscrewed from my tank.

things like this can be prevented. WE just have to be more careful. i for one do not like having paintball equipment sold in these superstores. things like this should be kept to the proshops. at walmart they dont show you how to disassemble a marker or remove a tank properly. at proshops they have people who know to explain these things and specialize in handling this equipment.

[alexrusek]

well this story was discussed on the kingman forums and someone who lived in the area said a new report came out that the kid's friend who was with him said he dropped his tank and it hit him in head...WELL it turns out the dead kids friend lied...actually the idiots where trying to make it explode by throwin it onto cement...the kids dies and his friend lied...its not the pb tanks fault or pb in genereal..it was the fault of this kid who was on purpose trying to make the tank explode...........darwin award

[RetroEclipseMan]

Yeah, I totally agree. Even though the sport is getting exposure from all these big retailers selling stuff I don't feel it's the right exposure. Too many young and uninformed kids can get a hold of that stuff and look what the the outcome can be.

I saw this on the news when it first happened and was actually suprised that they didn't tear into the sport. In fact they never really talked about it at all (don't even think they released the kid's name at the time). Heck they did a longer report on some guy's trees getting stolen than they did on this tragedy.

[frgood]

I'm not sure about that.
No one can explain safety precautions on the air compressors they sell. Or even mention that car lifts are not to be used in place of proper supports when working under your car.
On the flip side I'm sure there a lot of stories about 'PRO' shops. Two off the top of my head involve running 300 psi into my matrix the first time gassing it up and popping the solenoid. And I recall the infamous on/off flying out of my mag across the store to the amusement of the staff (and myself I must admit).

There is something to be said about customer reading manuals before use. Some manuals put a lot of safety information that most gloss over when assembling any item.
Take a lawnmower for example, Skip the warnings and a blade is flying across the room. They also sell circular saws.
Or even assembling a bicycle. The customer should take some responsibility.
Before my kids played paintball I found out all the safety issues before spending a dime.

[Evil Bob]

Operating pressure of a 12g CO2 caplet is 600 to 800 PSI depending upon the outside air temperature. Yes, there is sufficient power in a 12g to kill someone should it become airborne and hit someone in the head.

I'm betting that he poor kid was unscrewing the retaining nob looking directly over the nob, which would result in it being pointed at his face.

This is what happens when people fail to read the documentation on safe operation of paintball markers.

-Evil Bob

[openboater]

I suggest you guys wait for real facts about what happened before you create all kinds of rumors.

[Vendetta]

I played with 12 grams for many years,a nd with many differnt quick releases. I have never seen one fly out of the gun with enough force to even bruise someone.

[hitech]

Have you ever been hit with one of those things launched from a six-pak? That hurts! ;)

[FalconGuy016]

When I first saw this thread I thought a tank had rolled over someone. Honestly I've always been afraid of that happening

If they were really trying to make the tank explode ... I dont know what to say... im sorry they died, they should have gotten a painful injury though. You dont try to explode something like that

but yah... thats hard to think about... someone actually died :( no longer around anymore

[silentdeath55]

How come they don't have a section in the paper about the national/international tournament winners or new developements in the fastest growing sport in the U.S. and maybe the world. And yet, when some kid in a small town kills himself because of his own stupidity, the story is all over the place. And now, some parent is probably not letting their child start "paintballing" because he/she read this in the news.

[spydervenom]

have you guys ever seen those little cars that use co2 to propell them to about 80mph? i'd say it would hurt but not kill.


i dont think this is the 1st death related to pb. remember that guy that got shot up and then hurt himself on his rollerblades or something..like last year? didn't he die?

[xen_100]

I heard it was a 12 gram that caused it, from the papers around here.

I totaly believe that a 12g could kill. In science class when I was in high school our science teacher was trying to show "cause and effect" or something. he had a wire on the ceiling and a 12g with a straw taped to it. everybody got to one side of the room and then he hit it with a nail. it jetted across the room(about 50 feet) faster than you could see and punched a hole in the wall....lol. I am sure if a full one hit you in the right place at close range, it would kill you.

[superdesk2007]

There was something about this on pbreview. It might have been a different incedent.(SP)

[i like tictacs]

speaking of the unscrewing the reg form the bottle, that happend to me at a tourney recently. i was unscrewing a 68/45 tank from my friends ****pulse and all of a suden it just burst. i looked down and saw that the bottle came off the max flow. it won't fly anywhere, it just leaks...and leaks hard. still scared me though.

[banzaimf]

The story I am getting from the shop in the area is that he had an out of hydro Co2 tank, unscrewed the tank and the valve stayed in the gun and the bottle unscrewed.

[Matt_mg]

Darwin award!

Too bad the parents probably sued and got money... That's what I love about Canada, that **** woudn't hold 5 minutes before the plaintiff gets turned back with a couple hundred dollars in bills to pay for his/her attorney...

Canada ain't the land of the free, it's the land of people who don't sue for anything ;)...

[Tron]

I thought tanks were screwed to the reg the opposite way so we can't unscrew them? How is everyone unscrewing them now?

-Tron

[xen_100]

not on any tank I have ever seen. they either have 3/4"-16 or 5/8"-18 threads.

[breg]

Automaggin2,
Is there any way you could poat a link to the actual article? Unless you copied it for us.
Well, my heart goes out to the kid's family. I hope life returns to normal for them soon.

Keep us informed,

Breg

[Automaggin2]

I have seen a flying CO2 tank, and its not funny. some guy was playing around with his burst disk and next thing we know is the tank is flying towards me and my cousin, we jumped and the thing missed us by about 4 inches. the tank started flying around everyone, out of control, we could barley see the thing moving cuase it was so fast. We heard some guy scream and we look over and he is on the ground grabbing his ankle cause he got hit by the tank, luckily it was when the tank was running out of air so he didnt get hit hard. Dangerous stuff.



Breg, that link is the only source of the article i have