The visit of an American tourist to the Colosseum in Rome took a turn for the frightening after the man played himself on a fence and continued to dangling and screaming of pain, while other visitors looked in horror, according to Italian news broadcasts.
The horrific incident took place around 5 pm on Friday, when the 47-year-old American tried to climb over a fence in Piazza del Colosseo, presumably to view the historic Roman amphitheater of closer, according to reporting by Il Messaggero.
The man fell and was skewered by the sharp metal bars of the fence. He started screaming and bleeding abundantly until he became unconscious, the newspaper reported.
An ambulance rushed to the stage and doctors discovered that the man had suffered a serious injury in his lower back that prevented him from moving. They have administered a calming means before they carefully release it and apply a tight bandage to the wound.
It took about 20 minutes to loosen and stabilize the tourist, according to Il Messaggero. He was then taken to a local hospital in a critical condition. He underwent an emergency operation and received 80 stitches to close the wound.
“It was terrible,” a tourist told the newspaper in Italian. “I saw that man spouted a railing and he couldn't free himself.”
The identity of the man has not been released, but according to Il Messaggero there is also a resident of Taiwan. The man could not speak for a few hours, but was questioned on Sunday by the Italian law enforcement, the outlet reported.
Although this may have been the bloodiest incident involving American tourists in the historic monument, it is far from the first.
In 2015, two Californian women between the ages of 21 and 25 were arrested on suspicion of cutting the letters “J” and “N” in a brick wall in the Colosseum and then pose for selfies for their crafts. They were accused of serious damage to a building of historical importance.
In 2021, two American men, 24 and 25 years old, received a fine of around $ 900 each for breaking in the Colosseum for dawn for drinking beers.
The Colosseum dates from 72 AD and was the largest amphitheater in the Roman Empire, a place where thousands gathered to see Gladiators fight. Nowadays it is a UNESCO world heritage and visited by millions of tourists per year.
Register for Essential California for news, functions and recommendations from De La Times and Beyond in your inbox six days a week.
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
