American Tourist Reportedly Impaled At Roman Colosseum

An American tourist was impaled by a railing Friday in full view of other tourists while trying to climb the fence and reportedly take a photograph at one of Italy’s famous landmarks.

The 47-year-old American male tourist and Taiwan resident tried to climb over a fence in the Piazza del Colosseo Friday — the square just outside the Colosseum — when a spike pierced through his lower back and left him stuck on the fence, Il Messaggero reported.

The man ultimately lost consciousness after screaming in pain and lost a significant amount of blood.

Other people at the scene immediately called for emergency assistance, according to the outlet. The emergency personnel — rescuers, paramedics and the Carabinieri, or Italy’s military police — tried to free the man for over 20 minutes, sedating him before maneuvering him down from the fence. Personnel applied a bandage to stem the bleeding.

He was potentially aiming to see the Colosseum more closely, Il Messaggero noted. People Magazine reported that he was attempting to take a photo.

“It was terrible,” a witness told Il Messaggero, “I saw that man impaled on a fence and he couldn’t free himself.”

He was taken to a hospital and underwent emergency surgery, according to Il Messaggero. The injury required over 80 stitches before his condition became stable, the outlet noted.

The tourist was reportedly set to be questioned by law enforcement Sunday. He and his family and companions had been visiting Rome for a few days before the incident.

The man was hospitalized in the Italian capital with a pierced spine and needed 80 stitches. https://t.co/Tl8aOjpBrT

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The Colosseum, built between AD 70–80, is the world’s largest amphitheater, according to Rome’s tourism portal Turismoroma. Emperor Titus Flavius Vespasian ordered its construction, and it was completed under the rule of his son. It was the site of gladiatorial contests, simulated hunting expeditions and mock naval battles.

A male tourist was investigated for appearing to etch both his name and his girlfriend’s — “Ivan + Hayley 23” — on the Colosseum’s wall in 2023, according to footage of the incident.

The lawyer of the accused identified him as Ivan Dimitrov to CNN. (RELATED: American Tourist Arrested In Israel For Allegedly Smashing Ancient Sculptures)

Dimitrov later allegedly appealed to the prosecutor by citing ignorance. “I admit with the deepest embarrassment that only after what regrettably happened, I learned of the antiquity of the monument,” he wrote, according to the lawyer.

He faced a fine of as much as 5,000 euros ($5,400) and 15 days imprisonment, the outlet noted.