A U.S. tourist visiting Rome was impaled on a metal fence at the Colosseum in Rome, Italy, on Friday. Dozens of witnesses watched as first responders spent over 20 minutes trying to remove the American citizen from the fence before he was transported to a local hospital for emergency surgery.
According to Il Messaggero, an Italian newspaper, the 47-year-old American tourist, who had been living in Taiwan, was impaled on a metal fence at the Colosseum on Friday while trying to take a picture at the iconic landmark. The outlet reported that the 47-year-old continued to hang on the fence for a significant period of time and was heard screaming until he became unconscious and was aided by first responders.
Il Messaggero reported that the 47-year-old American tourist was stabbed in the spine by the metal fencing. According to the Italian newspaper, the tourist might have been impaled in an attempt to get a better view of the Colosseum.
“It was terrible,” another tourist who witnessed Friday’s incident said. “I saw that man impaled on a fence and he couldn’t free himself.”
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According to Il Messaggero, multiple witnesses at the scene of the incident called for help. However, when law enforcement officials and emergency paramedics arrived, it took over 20 minutes to remove the American tourist from the fence.
“It was a complex operation,” one of the first responders told the Italian newspaper. “He was losing a lot of blood, and we had to work with extreme caution.”
According to Il Messaggero, the 47-year-old tourist was transported in “code red” condition to San Giovanni Hospital for emergency surgery. The outlet reported that it required over 80 stitches to close the man’s lower back injury. Il Messaggero reported that doctors said the tourist was out of immediate danger by Friday night and that the man was in serious but stable condition.
The Italian newspaper confirmed that the American tourist had only been in Rome for a few days at the time of the Colosseum incident and that he was on a vacation with family and friends.
Pictures of an Italian police car, the Colosseum, and visitors waiting outside of the Colosseum have been shared on X, formerly Twitter.
