Tourist Impaled On Railing At Colosseum In Rome

The American traveler underwent emergency surgery after the incident

It sounded more like an ancient gladiator battle instead of a modern day tour when a newspaper in Italy reported someone impaled at the famous Colosseum in Rome.

But, it was not a Throwback Thursday post.

According to The Art Newspaper, “shocked onlookers saw the man, a 47-year-old US citizen living in Taiwan, suspended from one of the railings that seal off the arches at the base of the amphitheatre’s outer ring. The man, who had suffered a deep wound to his lower back and lost significant blood, was heard screaming before losing consciousness. The incident occurred at around 5pm on Friday. Il Messaggero described it as ‘a horrible scene’.”

“Medics, Carabinieri and finance police arrived quickly. After sedating the man, rescuers freed him in a 20-minute operation, tightly bandaged his wound, and transported him to San Giovanni hospital, where he underwent surgery and received around 80 stitches. He was declared out of danger later that evening,” the newspaper reported.

He apparently was only trying to a better look at the Colosseum. Apparently it became all too real for the tourist.