A U.S. Air Force service member who fell more than 150 feet from the rafters of a stadium has been identified as Tech Sgt. Ian Patterson. The airman died from his injuries after the fall during a fast-rope demonstration on Saturday at Texas' Alamodome.
Patterson was one of four people rappelling from the rafters before a Navy vs. University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) football game. He slipped and slammed into the ground at speed, and was rushed to hospital shortly after, where he died from his injuries.
Witnesses describe horror
Thousands of spectators in the stadium looked on as he fell. No update was shared ahead of the game other than requests for prayers and support. 'Everybody was quiet, the band stopped performing. Everybody was dead silent,' witness Adrian Corey told KSAT.
The game went ahead after a 10-minute delay. An investigation into the incident is said to be underway.
Conference decides to play on
The American Conference, which includes both Navy and UTSA, decided to play on before news of the airman's death was revealed. In a statement, the conference said: 'During the game, representatives of both participating member institutions, Alamodome management and local authorities met with American Conference Commissioner Tim Pernetti and a working group to review the information available and discuss next steps.'
The statement added: 'At the time of those discussions, Nellis Air Force Base Public Affairs had not publicly confirmed the service member's condition.'
Notification procedures
'Air Force casualty notification and information-release procedures establish safeguards for notifying families and publicly releasing casualty information. In accordance with conference bylaws and with the support of both participating member institutions, the conference made the decision to continue the game,' the conference said.
'Respect for the family's privacy and adherence to the military's notification process guided the decision to mitigate speculation about the service member's medical status and avoid additional distress for his family.'
At 11:40pm Eastern time, Nellis Air Force Base Public Affairs confirmed that the service member had been injured during the pregame demonstration and transported to a local hospital, where he later died. The conference expressed gratitude to first responders and emergency personnel who provided immediate care on the field, and offered thoughts and prayers to everyone impacted by the tragedy.
