A railing collapse caused several fans to fall to the ground after the Eagle’s football game at FedExField last Sunday. This collapse happened just as Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts was walking through the tunnel and was a dangerous situation for fans, players and all who work in the stadium.
This railing collapse has shed light on a few important points about injuries. The shock of an accident can make the victim, in this case the fans, not realize they are injured right away. Imagine not only the shock of falling on to a professional football field from the stands, but to also have Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts help you up. This is often the case with injuries of all kinds – adrenaline kicks in and you can easily not realize how injured you are.
Unfortunately, this isn’t the first time a railing collapse has caused disaster at a venue. Large crowds are a given at events like concerts and sports events and it is the responsibility of the stadium, event organizer and railing manufacturer to make sure it is safe for attendees. It is unclear how injured the attendees at the Eagles game are, but falls like this can cause serious, life changing injuries.
Jalen Hurts recently spoke out about the need to prevent accidents like the one that happened last Sunday:
“I tried to handle the situation with a lot of poise and some compassion for the people that fell down, really,” Hurts said. “But I know it could have been so much worse. And it kind of didn’t hit me until after the fact, having some time to reflect on it and think about it.”
We applaud Jalen Hurts for going beyond helping the fans off the ground and posing for pictures to use his platform to push for changes to prevent future incidents like this.
Too often, we see immediate statements from the venue that medical attention was offered to all and refused. In reality, victims are at hospitals for treatment and evaluation. 6ABC.com reports that the Washington Football Team statement about offering on-site medical evaluation is being refuted by the fans.
According to Andrew Collins of Brooklawn, New Jersey, “They didn’t ask if anyone was hurt and the sure as hell didn’t ask if anybody needed medical attention. The only thing the staff said to us was to get the F off the field.”
Safety at concerts and sports games is expected as an attendee. Just recently, we have seen the tragic crowd surge at a Travis Scott concert resulting in several fatalities. Event operations teams, venue staff, and security have the knowledge and ability to make events safe for attendees, but it is not always executed.
If you have been injured at a concert or sports venue, contact our team of injury lawyers for a free consultation at 856-942-1218.