Student dies of head injury suffered in karate class

By Li Xinran  |   2008-6-13  |     ONLINE EDITION

A UNIVERSITY student died on Tuesday after suffering a fractured skull during a karate class at school, Xinmin Evening News reported today.

Doctors said a delay in sending the young man to hospital may have contributed to his death, according to the report, which added the karate club was unlicensed and that no safety measures were taken.

Wu Jiaqin, a first-year student at Shanghai Institute of Technology, was taking part in a karate test on June 7 to upgrade his skill level from an orange to green belt when he was kicked in the head. He smacked his head on the floor when he fell and lost consciousness for about 10 minutes, the report said.

Wu woke with a strong headache and rested for about two hours before being escorted back to his dormitory by schoolmates at 9pm.

Wu's mother, who was identified as Li, arrived at the dorm about 11pm and sent her son to hospital for emergency treatment. Wu was semi-conscious and had muscle spasms at this time, the report said.

Wu had surgery at 2am the next day and died of a fractured skull and brain hemorrhaging early on Tuesday.

Doctors said Wu should have been sent to hospital immediately after the incident. However, his coach told Wu's schoolmates not to bother him unless he got a fever, the report said.

The school said since the incident happened, it has discovered that the club was unlicensed and not qualified to teach karate. All the classes and tests were held in a table tennis room with no carpet or mats.

No safety measures were taken, according to the newspaper.

Wu had one year of training at the karate club before the accident, the report said.