A man died after a splinter penetrated his eye socket and brain during the filming of an historical re-enactment.
The accident happened during a jousting event to be used in a Channel 4 archaeological programme hosted by Tony Robinson.
The inquest heard the man had never jousted before. In a report read to the court, Mike Loades (a jousting expert) said that an unsuitable helmet had been used. The ‘Great Helm' helmet was suitable only for carnival jousting as its eye holes were too big and the top part of it did not protrude enough in the lower part, which could have directed the lance away from the eyes. Unlike specialised jousting helmets, it had breathing holes on both sides, which meant the lance could catch on the indents. The report also found that the shield had been incorrectly used (held for infantry, rather than cavalry).
Mr Loades said, "The accident just may have been avoided with a faster closing speed but it may not. Certainly it would not have had the same consequence with a proper helm. The key to jousting is the correct body equipment. If the armour is right, then any other mistakes will be relatively harmless."
Mr Loades added that jousting had an extremely good safety record and that record should not be compromised by this incident, but also called for proper guidelines to be issued on jousting.
The coroner recorded a narrative verdict, saying there had been several failures resulting in the accident, namely failing to engage a rider with a proven track record of lance-breaking jousting, to ensure the correct helmet or helm for jousting was used and to ensure that the shield had been appropriately assembled for jousting purposes.
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