John L Posted December 17, 2004 Report Share Posted December 17, 2004 (edited) Man Slides His Trombone And Kills Musician In Front Of Him! By Randy Jeffries/Weekly World News Bocholt, Germany — A band musician died of a brain injury when the trombonist behind him jerked the slide of his trombone forward and struck the trumpeter in the back of the head. Police say the tragedy occurred as the Gratzfeld College band was rehearsing the spirited American jazz classic, “When the Saints Go Marching In”. According to other band members, trombonist Peter Niemeyer, 19, “got carried away” with the music. He started gyrating and thrashing around as he played. At one point, he jerked forward and the rounded metal slide on his instrument hit trumpet player Dolph Mohr, 20, dropping him instantly to the floor. ”Niemeyer was pumping the slide very hard,” said medical examiner Dr. Max Krause. “But it wasn't just the force of the blow that killed Mohr. “The slide struck him in the worst possible place — the vulnerable spot just behind and below the left ear. “Bone fragments pierced his brain, killing him instantly.” The incident has provoked a storm of controversy over whether or not American jazz should be played in German colleges. ”I believe the music is to blame,” said Gratzfeld band director Heinrich Sommer. “I was pressured to play that selection by school administrators. But I've always said jazz is dangerous music, Our musicians can't control themselves when they play it. They move and rock back and forth, creating chaos. If I had my way, American Dixieland would be outlawed in Germany. I've been directing bands for 30 years and I've never heard of anyone dying while playing a German march.” Reprinted with permission. Copyright © [2004] By Randy Jeffries/Weekly World News Edited December 17, 2004 by John L Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSngry Posted December 17, 2004 Report Share Posted December 17, 2004 This guy need to be locked up once and for all. Seems like he kills people 3 or 4 people every year, if my e-mail is any indication... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maren Posted December 17, 2004 Report Share Posted December 17, 2004 This guy need to be locked up once and for all. Seems like he kills people 3 or 4 people every year, if my e-mail is any indication... Yeah, and since at least 1996!!! See "TROMBONE OF CONTENTION" at http://www.snopes.com/horrors/freakish/trombone.asp What was it that tipped me off? Oh, maybe "Weekly World News"? And maybe "Bone fragments pierced his brain, killing him instantly.” Paging Dr. J for confirmation -- but IMHO that was the goofiest line of the whole story. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rooster_Ties Posted December 17, 2004 Report Share Posted December 17, 2004 (edited) Hey Free For All, how many have you killed over the years??? Is this really all that common?? Edited December 17, 2004 by Rooster_Ties Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rooster_Ties Posted December 17, 2004 Report Share Posted December 17, 2004 Oh wait, I get it, it's always the same guy. You're off the hook, FFA. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John L Posted December 17, 2004 Author Report Share Posted December 17, 2004 Sorry about that. I have still not rid myself of the stupid American trait of actually believing things that I read in newspaper articles printed on the Internet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSngry Posted December 17, 2004 Report Share Posted December 17, 2004 No prob. Life's a LOT more fun that way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Gould Posted December 17, 2004 Report Share Posted December 17, 2004 This guy need to be locked up once and for all. Seems like he kills people 3 or 4 people every year, if my e-mail is any indication... Yeah, and since at least 1996!!! See "TROMBONE OF CONTENTION" at http://www.snopes.com/horrors/freakish/trombone.asp What was it that tipped me off? Oh, maybe "Weekly World News"? And maybe "Bone fragments pierced his brain, killing him instantly.” Paging Dr. J for confirmation -- but IMHO that was the goofiest line of the whole story. Funny how this story is refuted simply by referring to the newspaper in which it appeared. But isn't a stopped clock right twice a day? Isn't it possible this could occur? There's nothing in the snopes piece to refute the possibility of a blunt object hitting someone's head in just the right way to cause death. Remember that there are documented cases where athletes-or just young people engaged in athletic events-have died by being struck in the chest by a hard object (a baseball, a hockey puck) just in the split second between heart beats. The compression of the chest disrupts the heart's rhythm and the kid dies very quickly. This is serious enough that some little leagues have considered switching to softer balls. So, on the face of it, I don't think the story is simply impossible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rooster_Ties Posted December 17, 2004 Report Share Posted December 17, 2004 Maybe we can find a willing trombonist, and take out a 'hit' on somebody -- and see if it works!!! Would that be a considered a trombotomy?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Free For All Posted December 17, 2004 Report Share Posted December 17, 2004 Maybe we can find a willing trombonist, and take out a 'hit' on somebody -- and see if it works!!! Would that be a considered a trombotomy?? Drive-by boning, perhaps. Or maybe bonicide? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSngry Posted December 17, 2004 Report Share Posted December 17, 2004 Positional morality. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maren Posted December 17, 2004 Report Share Posted December 17, 2004 (edited) "Bone fragments pierced his brain, killing him instantly.” Paging Dr. J for confirmation -- but IMHO that was the goofiest line of the whole story. Funny how this story is refuted simply by referring to the newspaper in which it appeared. But isn't a stopped clock right twice a day? Isn't it possible this could occur? There's nothing in the snopes piece to refute the possibility of a blunt object hitting someone's head in just the right way to cause death. Remember that there are documented cases where athletes-or just young people engaged in athletic events-have died by being struck in the chest by a hard object (a baseball, a hockey puck) just in the split second between heart beats. The compression of the chest disrupts the heart's rhythm and the kid dies very quickly. This is serious enough that some little leagues have considered switching to softer balls. So, on the face of it, I don't think the story is simply impossible. I'm not an MD but know a bit more than "lay person" about this stuff -- the DIFFERENCE between the brain and heart is precisely what made the quote appear so bogus. And the specific terms that the "doctor" used just seemed off. If "bone fragments" pierced an artery supplying the brain, conceivably that could "kill him instantly." (Although a blow to the skull doesn't seem likely to produce shard-like "fragments" -- more like a crack.) But "piercing" brain tissue behind the ear, while not a GOOD idea, just wouldn't kill someone INSTANTLY. Certainly a massive blow to the head that causes massive internal bleeding can be quickly fatal -- but that's not what "medical examiner Dr. Max Krause" said, is it?! Those freakish perfectly timed blows to the chest fatally disrupt cardiac conduction -- the natural "pacemaker" that sends electric signals telling the heart to beat -- if someone was on the scene with a cardioconverter and instantly recognized what had happened, conceivably they could shock the heart back into action. Edited December 17, 2004 by maren Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Alfredson Posted December 17, 2004 Report Share Posted December 17, 2004 I think the only humane thing to do is outlaw trombones. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghost of miles Posted December 17, 2004 Report Share Posted December 17, 2004 Maybe we can find a willing trombonist, and take out a 'hit' on somebody -- and see if it works!!! Would that be a considered a trombotomy?? Drive-by boning, perhaps. Or maybe bonicide? Homislide. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghost of miles Posted December 17, 2004 Report Share Posted December 17, 2004 I think the only humane thing to do is outlaw trombones. Or Dixieland. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sidewinder Posted December 17, 2004 Report Share Posted December 17, 2004 I once had JJ Johnson's trombone slide extending over my head with just inches to spare, at a concert in NYC. I was a bit nervous with this but his judgement on the clearance was amazingly accurate and he didn't waiver. B-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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