Arizona woman barely escapes with her life in viral ax-throwing video
Apr 11, 2019, 10:06 AM | Updated: Apr 15, 2019, 2:03 pm
PHOENIX — An Arizona woman barely escaped with her life in a hair-raising video that went viral on social media this week.
Ainsley Oates posted a photo of her throwing an ax at an ax-throwing facility (yes, that’s a thing) in New York, but it didn’t go as planned.
Oates threw the ax at a target — where it was likely supposed to land — but instead it bounced off the floor and flew back toward her head.
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Luckily, Oates’ quick reflexes came in handy. She ducked just before the ax flew over her head — and stood up with a hair flip and a laugh.
“At first I didn’t know what actually happened but then over time, watching it over and over again, I just started laughing at myself,” Oates told Inside Edition.
“Oh my gosh, I am so glad I didn’t get hit in the head.”
Oates said her athletic ability was to thank for her jaw-dropping dodge, which has been viewed nearly 200,000 times on her Instagram alone since Monday.
Mathew Sylvester, the owner of the Brooklyn venue called Bury the Hatchet, said the target that Oates was at did not have an impact board to help stop the ax from popping back up.
But he told the television show that, ultimately, Oates’ throw was too powerful.
“This is so terrible,” Sylvester said. “There is a little too much power in a little later in her release, otherwise she would have done fine.”
Marc Lamber, a personal injury attorney, told KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Bruce St. James and Pamela Hughes Show said these kind of facilities are just not safe — especially if they serve alcohol.
