A referee was hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries after being hit in the face by a cannon during a football game in Castine, Maine.
During the Maine Maritime Academy homecoming football game on Saturday, a referee walked through the back of the end zone during a stoppage in play, and was hit by a cannon blast.
A Maine Maritime Academy alumnus brought his own cannon to the game and loaded it with black powder, according to the police report.
The USA Today reports that Maine Maritime Academy usually has a cannon blast loaded with a black shotgun shell after the team scores, “but in this case, a ‘wad’ was placed into the cannon shot out and hit the referee in the face.”
The referee immediately fell to the ground after being hit in the head by the cannon blast, and was taken to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
The Hancock County Sheriff’s Department is investigating the incident, and reportedly will forward their findings to the district attorney’s office pending potential criminal charges.
[USA Today; News Center Maine]
