Punkin Chunkin

Delaware's world famous Punkin Chunkin, back after a 2-year hiatus prompted by an accident and lawsuit, turned dangerous Sunday afternoon when an air cannon firing a pumpkin broke apart, injuring a man and a woman, according to Delaware State Police.

The 39-year-old woman, who state police initially reported had died, is listed in critical condition at Christiana Hospital in Stanton.

Judges had already seen about 10 air cannons fire pumpkins more than 3,000 feet using compressed air when the trap door of the air cannon named Punkin Reaper flew off when it fired shortly before 2:40 p.m. Sunday. As people were running away from the cannon, which sent large pieces of material into the air in all directions, a person was struck in the head and face at the event's site, Wheatley Farms in Bridgeville.

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Science Channel Scraps ‘Punkin Chunkin’ Special After Woman Badly Injured in Accident

Science Channel has scrapped its plan for a three-hour “Punkin Chunkin” special on Nov. 26 after an accident during the event earlier this month in Delaware left a woman in critical condition.

“Punkin Chunkin” is a competitive event organized by the World Championship Punkin Chunkin Association in which teams compete to hurl pumpkins long distances with the use of elaborate homemade mechanical launchers. This year was to mark the event’s return to TV with a new competition after a two-year hiatus. Science Channel planned an elaborate special that would have been simulcast on its sibling Discovery Channel.

“In light of the unfortunate incident at the Punkin Chunkin event on Nov. 6, Science Channel will not air ‘Punkin Chunkin’ as originally planned,” Science Channel spokesman Paul Schur said. “We are sending our hopes and prayers for a full recovery to the injured woman, her family and loved ones.”

The woman’s name has not been released. A report Nov. 10 in Delaware’s Cape Gazette described the victim as a 39-year-old producer working on the event. The special was to have been produced by Sharp Entertainment with Matt Sharp, Dan Adler and Scott Miller exec producing, along with Kyle McCabe exec producing for Science Channel and Lindsey Foster Blumberg serving as producer for Science Channel.

According to local reports, the woman was injured when the air cannon operated by the Punkin Reaper team malfunctioned, sending a large metal plate flying. The woman was hit in the head and in the face. The victim’s medical status was not immediately clear on Sunday. The competition was held Nov. 4-6 in Bridgeville, Del.

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davel said:

https://www.cnn.com/2016/11/27/ente...kin-injured-producer-recovers-trnd/index.html

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