A U.S. Air Force service member died after falling during a rappelling demonstration before the University of Texas at San Antonio’s football game against Navy on Saturday evening at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas.
Nellis Air Force Base Public Affairs confirmed that the service member, assigned to Detachment 2 of the 6th Combat Training Squadron, was injured at the stadium and later died at a local hospital. The identity of the individual has not been released, and the incident remains under investigation.
The demonstration occurred as part of UTSA’s annual Salute to Armed Forces and Veterans game. Four members of the unit, which trains tactical air controllers and operates from Joint Base San Antonio locations including Camp Bullis, were scheduled to rappel from the stadium rafters to the field approximately 15 minutes before the scheduled kickoff.
According to a report from ESPN, one of the participants appeared to lose control about halfway through the descent and uncontrollably slid down the rope at a high rate of speed. The service member then appeared motionless after hitting the ground hard.
Medical personnel responded immediately on the field, and the service member was placed on a stretcher before being quickly transported from the stadium. The San Antonio Fire Department confirmed that the patient was moved as a Priority 1 case, indicating a life-threatening emergency requiring immediate attention.
The start of the game was delayed by roughly 10 minutes as a result of the incident.
“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,” UTSA announced in a statement.
The American Conference also released a statement expressing that it was deeply saddened by the pregame incident and noting that it had consulted with the participating institutions, Alamodome management, local authorities, and others while offering support resources.
RELATED: ‘Mass Casualty Event’ Confirmed After Explosion, Fire At Canadian Military Base
Continue reading...
[ H/T Trending Politics ]
