Another day, another video of a terrifying injury posted on TikTok.
This time, the unfortunate subject is 21-year-old Zach McWhorter, a pole vaulter for Brigham Young University. He recently shared the following TikTok of a pole vaulting accident that ended in his balls getting impaled:
If you're too squeamish to watch the video, I'll walk you through it with these screen grabs (which probably won't make this any less awful, but oh well). He vaults:
He accidentally lands on the pole, spearing his balls:
He falls to what I imagine feels like his death:
And then the video ends. But off-camera, McWhorter assessed the damage. "I could see right into my scrotum," he told BuzzFeed. He provided us with a photo of his punctured shorts for further evidence:
Luckily, McWhorter's coach just so happens to be his dad AND a urologist. What a Renaissance man. "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.
"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..." he said.
McWhorter told us he learned two valuable lessons from this experience — so pole vaulters, listen up if you wanna protect the family jewels. "Don't free ball (wearing cross country shorts without spandex)" and "always put a cap on the end of the pole."
Stay safe, y'all!
