An American tourist was seriously injured after attempting to climb a fence near the Colosseum in Rome on 2 May, according to Italian newspaper Il Messaggero.
The 47-year-old man, also identified as a resident of Taiwan, was reportedly trying to get closer to the ancient Roman monument when he fell and was impaled on the sharp metal bars. The incident occurred around 5 p.m. in Piazza del Colosseo.
According to Il Messaggero, the man began screaming and bleeding heavily before losing consciousness. Emergency services arrived at the scene and found he had sustained a severe lower back injury that left him unable to move. Medics administered a sedative before carefully detaching him and applying a compression bandage.
The process of stabilising and freeing the tourist took approximately 20 minutes. He was taken to a nearby hospital in critical condition, where he underwent emergency surgery and received 80 stitches.
“It was terrible,” a tourist told Il Messaggero. “I saw that man impaled on a railing and he couldn’t free himself.”
The man was initially unable to speak and was questioned by police later in the week. His name has not been released.
This is not the first incident involving American visitors at the site. In 2015, two California women were arrested for carving initials into the Colosseum and taking selfies. In 2021, two American men were fined for illegally entering the monument before dawn to drink beer.