A US Air Force serviceman has died after plunging 150ft from the rafters of a stadium in front of horrified fans during a pre-match stunt at an American Football game.
The unnamed military officer was one of four servicemen rappelling from the roof of the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas, ahead of University of Texas San Antonio (UTSA) football game on Saturday when he fell.
Stunt goes wrong mid-descent
About halfway through the descent, one of the four appeared to lose control as he slid down the rope before plummeting to the ground.
Screams rang out across the stadium as shocked spectators witnessed the incident, with medics rushing onto the pitch to treat the injured man. Videos of the shocking incident filmed by spectators are circulating online.
Medics rush to treat injured man
He was placed on a stretcher and carried off the field before being transported to a nearby hospital by the San Antonio Fire Department in a life-threatening condition.
A spokesperson for Nellis Air Force Base later confirmed the serviceman had died from his injuries, according to US military news outlet Task & Purpose.
“The incident is under investigation. More information will be released as it becomes available,” the Nellis spokesperson told the outlet.
Game delayed but went ahead
The game was delayed while emergency crews attended to the man, whose descent formed part of UTSA’s annual Salute to Armed Forces and Veterans night, but remarkably still went ahead.
More than 20,000 fans had packed into the stadium to watch the match.
University expresses sorrow
A UTSA statement read: "We are deeply saddened by the incident that occurred at the start of tonight’s football game. Our heartfelt thoughts and prayers are with the soldier who was affected, his family and his military colleagues. We recognize that members of our campus community may be emotionally affected by this incident and are activating wellbeing services to support our faculty, staff and students."
“I’ve never had to deal with anything like that before,” coach Jeff Traylor stated. “It just puts things into perspective. It really does.”
“I think as players, our thoughts are immediately with the family, and it’s obviously bigger than football,” senior quarterback Owen McCown said. “I know we said a prayer postgame. I know they’ll continue to be in our thoughts and prayers. [We’re] really thinking about them.”
