Relatives of a spectator killed by an errant weight thrown at a youth track and field meet in Colorado say he was a dedicated father with a great sense of humor.

The father of a Colorado United Track Club athlete was killed Sunday after a throwing hammer hurled by a high school athlete cleared the indoor meet’s protective barriers and flew into the crowd.

The unfortunate man died trying to protect his wife and son from the flying hammer during the competition at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs campus