A man who fell over 150ft from the rafters of a stadium has been identified as U.S. Airman Tech Sargent Ian Patterson.
The Air Force service member died from his injuries after falling on Saturday during a fast-rope demonstration at Texas’ Alamodome.
He was one of four people rappelling from the rafters before a Navy vs University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) football game.
Thousands gathered in the stadium looked on, horrified, as he fell, but 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 did go ahead after a 10-minute delay and an investigation into the incident is said to be underway.
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.
‘At the time of those discussions, Nellis Air Force Base Public Affairs had not publicly confirmed the service member’s condition.’
It added: ‘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.
‘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.
‘Later, 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. We are grateful to the first responders and emergency personnel who provided immediate care on the field. Our hearts and prayers are with everyone impacted by this tragedy.’
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