Ceremonial guard in Canada slips and falls on bayonet - DC Breaking Local News Weather Sports FOX 5 WTTG

Ceremonial guard in Canada slips and falls on bayonet

A costumed member of the Governor General's Foot Guards was seriously injured Wednesday when he slipped during a ceremony on Parliament Hill in Ottawa and fell on his bayonet, the Ottawa Citizen reported.

The unidentified 20-year-old was hospitalized in serious but stable condition with a severe stab wound from his rifle-mounted bayonet and also was treated for loss of blood.

Witnesses said he apparently slipped on a manhole cover at the point where the guards turned as part of the Changing of the Guard ceremony. Wednesday marked only the second day of this year's parade, which is to be performed daily until Aug. 23.

"There is a flaw in the ceremony," the Citizen quoted witness Devron Gaber as saying. "It's the fact that the guards have to turn on that manhole. With the shoes they wear, several of them were slipping and losing their footing as they turned. It's dangerous."

Medics from the Canadian Forces provided first aid at the scene, applying pressure to the man's wound until paramedics arrived.

The Governor General is the Queen's representative in Canada.

Read more: http://www.ottawacitizen.com/news/Ceremonial+guardsman+impaled+bayonet+during+Hill+mishap/6848675/story.html