A freak pole vaulting accident turns out to be every man’s worst nightmare.
Zach McWhorter, a 21-year-old student athlete from Brigham Young University, was nearly maimed during a routine practice run that was captured on video. He clears the bar with ease, but the clip takes a frightening turn when the pole, instead of falling safely to the side, wedges itself at the least opportune angle imaginable: directly beneath him, impaling his groin area.
McWhorter shared the horrifying video on popular social media platform, TikTok.
“That one time the pole went through my n–s…18 stitches later… RIP to my future kids,” the video’s caption reads. The post has gone viral with more than 18.7 million views and 3.6 million likes.
He also shared a graphic image of his underwear with a gaping hole through which the pole had torn.
“I could see right into my scrotum,” he told Buzzfeed after the accident.
Lucky for McWhorter, his father is also his coach and a trained urologist.
“Immediately after the incident, we got in his car and drove to the hospital and he sewed me up. It required 18 stitches!” McWhorter said.
Shocking, it doesn’t sound like there will be lasting effects.
“Fortunately, as far as I know, there is nothing wrong with my testicles — just a scar. One day, we’ll find out if they function or not,” McWhorter said.
The young athlete says he has learned an important lesson from the ordeal.
“Don’t free-ball (wear shorts without spandex inserts)” and “always put a cap on the end of the pole.”