Kerala mourns teen football star’s death in freak accident
Apheel was a volunteer for javelin throw event when he was hit by a hammer
Asprightly teenager from Melukavu in Kottayam district who was a budding football star passed away on Monday after battling for his life following a freak hammer throw accident in Pala earlier this month.
Apheel Johnson, 16, the only child of Johnson George and Darly, was a volunteer at the State Junior Athletic Meet at Pala — the town where he was a Class XI student at the St Thomas School — when a contestant threw a hammer that struck him on the head, causing severe head injuries.
Apheel was volunteering for the javelin throw event in the championship, which was being conducted close to where the hammer throw contestants in the girls’ section were also competing. The mishap happened when Apheel was on the ground to pick up one of the javelins.
A preliminary investigation has pointed to lapse on the part of the organisers.
Apheel suffered skull, brain and eye injuries in the incident and he was being provided expert treatment at the Kottayam Medical College Hospital, where his parents kept a prayerful watch outside the ICU. His condition improved in the first few days and he could breathe on his own for a short while, but matters turned worse later, and the end came on Monday.
The state human rights commission also sought a clarification from the authorities concerned, and asked the deputy superintendent of police, Pala, and the deputy director of education for Kottayam district to submit a report on the incident within four weeks.