Barbell Lands on USC RB's Throat

USC Trojans' Stafon Johnson has surgery after weights mishap - ESPN (http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=4512778)

I saw that. How awful. I second what the strength and conditioning coach said- I've been in weightrooms regularly since I was 15 years old, and I've never seen or heard of anything like that. Worst thing I've seen is a broken toe from a dropped dumbbell.

Really bad deal.

I want to know how much the 210-pounder was trying to lift...apparently, it was too much.

I have never had this happen to me. I've had a bar stuck on my chest after doing too many reps, but I have never dropped one on my throat or seen anyone else ever do it.

Bad luck. Has to be horrible to go through.

Saw this on another site, posted by someone claiming to be a doctor:

Guys-
I'm board certified in Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery and also in Facial Plastic Surgery. I've seen dozens of these type of injuries over the years. First of all, we should be grateful he is alive and that apparently there are no neurologic problems (stroke, spinal cord injury). He faces potentially a very long road ahead. Bleeding indicates a break in the laryngeal or tracheal mucosa, and generally this is due to fracture of the cartilages. In young people, the cartilage isn't calcified and it gives quite alot. But it can break. Emergent surgery of this nature is usually due to one of two things- impending airway compromise (due to an expanding hematoma- collection of blood, collapse of airway, or even laryngeal nerve injury, or laryngeal-tracheal separation). In that case they will do a tracheostomy, probably with the patient 100% awake (these are not fun for the surgeon or the patient- I did three last month).

The other reason for surgery is to perform laryngofissure. The neck is opened up, and the broken laryngeal cartilage (if fractured) is repaired with sutures and titanium microplates. Rarely do you know the injury ahead of time, as these patients are in extremis, and a CT scan is risky (loosing an airway and trach'ing a patient in the CT scanner is extremely unpleasant).

Hard to say what happened based only upon the emergent nature of this injury and the report of coughing blood from ESPN.

I pray that he is safe, and has no defects. I believe in my professional opinion that he might not see the field for a very long time.

The best case scenario is that he coughed blood due to a tear, his cartilage flexed extensively but did not fracture, he developed a hematoma in his larynx, and "surgery" was direct laryngoscopy with intubation in the O.R. I've been down this pathway many times before too, and I hope that this is the case. IN that case, he'll be intubated and in an ICU for a few days. But his season may still be over. If it were my son, it would be over.

If he went to USC for emergent surgery, he's is very good hands- I know the surgeons there, they know their stuff. Elsewhere...not so much.

I want to know how much the 210-pounder was trying to lift...apparently, it was too much.

I have never had this happen to me. I've had a bar stuck on my chest after doing too many reps, but I have never dropped one on my throat or seen anyone else ever do it.

Bad luck. Has to be horrible to go through.

I heard on SC this morning that it was 275lbs. They said it crushed his vocal chords, he had to have a traichiotomy (sp?), and he's in critical but stable condition, currently breathing through a tube. He won't be able to play again this season. Sheesh. How terrible.

On the upside, they did say he is expected to make a full recovery thankfully.

I saw that. How awful. I second what the strength and conditioning coach said- I've been in weightrooms regularly since I was 15 years old, and I've never seen or heard of anything like that. Worst thing I've seen is a broken toe from a dropped dumbbell.


I have never seen anything to bad in a gym but my buddy was once doing a bunch of sets in his basement and became to fatigued to get it off his chest. He was down there for a good hour when I stopped by I helped him get the weights off. The way his bench was set up it made it near impossible to slide them off to either side. Lesson is don't lift alone.

I have never seen anything to bad in a gym but my buddy was once doing a bunch of sets in his basement and became to fatigued to get it off his chest. He was down there for a good hour when I stopped by I helped him get the weights off. The way his bench was set up it made it near impossible to slide them off to either side. Lesson is don't lift alone.

I lift alone pretty often, but I would never bench press or squat without a spotter right behind me. It's common sense. Apparently this kid had a spotter too. Dude just must not have been paying attention. My guess is the kid who was lifting can probably throw up 275 several times, and the spotter was just kind of standing there, not really expecting him to struggle and therefore probably didn't have his hands right under the bar like he would if he was trying to max out.

I lift alone pretty often, but I would never bench press or squat without a spotter right behind me. It's common sense. Apparently this kid had a spotter too. Dude just must not have been paying attention. My guess is the kid who was lifting can probably throw up 275 several times, and the spotter was just kind of standing there, not really expecting him to struggle and therefore probably didn't have his hands right under the bar like he would if he was trying to max out.

I heard the spotter was not a teammate, but the assistant strength coach..he might not have been strong enough to keep the 275 pounds from falling on him. He could just have been using an improper grip too. It's tough to drop a bar if you're using the right grip. It can get stuck on your chest, but it should not fall. So many things can go wrong with that kind of weight. According to Pete Carrol he was at the end of his set and was re-racking the weight. The left side was racked but he missed on the right side and he let go (poor spotting). This is why it landed on his throat and not his chest.

He had successful surgery on his Adam's apple, torn muscles in his neck, and vocal chords were reconstructed. Apparently this is the best case scenario and the doctors did an EXCELLENT job. He is expected to make a full recovery and can play football next year if he can get a medical redshirt.