Could A PaintBall Kill you?

[cyrus-the-virus]

Can a paintball kill a person? yes of course, but not by it's self. Just like a gun can't kill someone by it'self. and a car can't crash it'self.

[Beemer]

If we are going to start ignoring selective parts of that article I could simply state that just because someone wrote that it happened I don't even beleive it happened.

No not ignored at all. Lets just say on purpose.

Right, so if I said a Doctor, Lawyer, Engineer or who ever told me this or that, you could just say BS. I made it up. Guess I need to put up EH. I have some permissions to use names and quotes and some not. Its the not ones I need to work on. Besides the lurkers are looking.

[paint magnet]

A single paintball under 300 fps at any range? Probably not, unless it's Proball.

A rapid succession of hits (like when Chris Lasoya bunkered a guy and shot him 15 times in the head and gave him a concussion)? Quite possible.

[fatkidfrank]

This sounds odd to me...

Getting hit in the throat and having a stroke are two totally seperate problems. I could understand if the impact of the ball ruptured/disected his carodid artery and he bleed to death from it. but the rupture a blood vessel in the brain from being shot in the neck sounds a little fishy. more likely he hit the ground after the shot and that caused a blood vessel to tear and caused the CVA(stroke).

But answer the question, sure a paintball could kill you. Hell you could die from paper cuts if you really wanted too. I mean drinking too much water is hazardous for your health why wouldn't a like blue ball flying at 275-300fps be potentially dangerous.

[grEnAlEins]

Getting hit in the throat and having a stroke are two totally seperate problems. I could understand if the impact of the ball ruptured/disected his carodid artery and he bleed to death from it. but the rupture a blood vessel in the brain from being shot in the neck sounds a little fishy. more likely he hit the ground after the shot and that caused a blood vessel to tear and caused the CVA(stroke).

A blood vessel rupturing is an aneurysm. I stroke is interrupted blood flow. If a vessel were hit, and the vessel "walls" were to swell... the blood flow to the brain certainly could be interrupted (and the flow does not have to stop, it just has to slow the flow to the point that the brain is short of oxygen). The paintball most certainly could have been a major factor. It should be noted that the individual did have prior circulatory issues too...

[Lohman446]

A blood vessel rupturing is an aneurysm. I stroke is interrupted blood flow. If a vessel were hit, and the vessel "walls" were to swell... the blood flow to the brain certainly could be interrupted (and the flow does not have to stop, it just has to slow the flow to the point that the brain is short of oxygen). The paintball most certainly could have been a major factor. It should be noted that the individual did have prior circulatory issues too...

The article specifically states that the inquest into it found the paintball was not the cause...

[cledford]

[RRfireblade]

Could? Mmm , anything is possible in some form , like say a splinter in your big toe but highly unlikely IMO.

This story being the first 'potential' related apparently has no connection of death and the impact of a paintball at all , according to the Doctors quotes.

The sudden movement being surprised by an attacker could have caused this."

"It was not the paintball itself but the general activity and engaging in that game that set off a chain of reactions.

Sounds like any sudden suprise would have killed this guy , even a close call on the drive home.

If his heart condition was that fragile I'm guessing he had no business at all in such a high stress activity in the first place. Pretty sure my 92 year old Granpappy shouldn't play either.

[Lohman446]

Touching a metal door knob could kill you, I mean what if a wire has broken near it and is touching the door, and electricity is going through it and....

Do I dismiss the idea that a paintball could kill someone? No But as stated there have been millions upon millions of paintballs fired at people so far....

[grEnAlEins]

The article specifically states that the inquest into it found the paintball was not the cause...

That is why I never said that the paintball was at fault... Thanks for the heads up though
All I said is that is could contribute to restricting of blood flow. I did not even relate it to this specific situation... I was merely explaining to whoever it was that a stroke does not necessarily occur in the brain, and that it has nothing to do with the rupturing of a blood vessel. That was my point in the post you quoted.
I also made it clear above that I doubt the paintball was at fault in this situation, as I see now way that it could cause enough swelling to seriously restrict the flow of blood to the brain. I cited the example of my being shot in the throat/neck from closer than the gentleman in the article and my having a definitive lack of a stroke.

[Walrus]

I am not voting for such a silly poll as described by everyone else. I can attest that I have seen someone get shot point blank in the next on break by their own teammate during rec ball. It broke the skin and dude was pissed, but he still lived although he said it hurt pretty bad. Luckily the shooter got thrown out since he was being a prick and wasn't being safe (should have had the barrel on the starting pole, not up in the air pointed at someone's face). Like stated before, "stuff" happens and you need to deal with it.

I also had a friend who's uncle committed suicide back when we were in high school. He purposely shot himself in the head with a pellet gun. The pellet shred and the tiny fragments went through his brain. It took him a good 3 days to die and it wasn't pleasant for him or his family.

Back to the topic, it was a terrible tragedy and I am sorry it happened. Peace be with the family.

[[echo]]

im not sure a paintball could - but a 9ox Co2 tank could and has.. last september one exploded and flew 40 feet accross the field and hit me twice, yup 2 times, it was spinning a like a helecopter blade and whacked me in the ehad.. 30+ stitches later and a severe concussion - i live... although had i been abour 2 inches closer to my destination i'd prolly be dead.

[68magOwner]

I have knocked out two full grown men with paintalls shooting under the legal 300fps limit. I have no doubt that enough paintballs, in the right place, COULD kill a person. Do I think its practical or probable? No, not at all. I feel perfectly safe playing the game of paintball.

[fatkidfrank]

A blood vessel rupturing is an aneurysm. I stroke is interrupted blood flow. If a vessel were hit, and the vessel "walls" were to swell... the blood flow to the brain certainly could be interrupted (and the flow does not have to stop, it just has to slow the flow to the point that the brain is short of oxygen). The paintball most certainly could have been a major factor. It should be noted that the individual did have prior circulatory issues too...

atcually a stroke CVA is a ceribral vascular accident. The key word is ceribral meaning head. it is caused by a disecting vien or artery in the brian or a clot. so an aneurysm can be anywhere. aorta, femoral arteies it doesn't matter. a stroke or brain attack is specifically ment for the brain. a ruptured carodid artery would be a disected artery leading to an aneurysm and then the blood flow to the brain would be cut off. it is totally different than a stroke. Lack of oxygen to the brain do to a bleed anywhere else in the body would fall more in the asphyxiation catagory not so much a stroke.

[hitech]

I voted no, even though I believe that anything is possible. However, if I believe that a paintball impact could kill me then I would not play. Of all the things I do I think it is probably the least likely to kill me.