12 people were injured yesterday when the training facility for the Dallas Cowboys blew over and collapsed in high winds. The injured parties include coach Brett Maxie, team scout Chris Hall, four staff members, and special teams coach Joe DeCamillis, who broke his back.
Former coach Dan Reeves, DeCamillis’ father-in-law, said the first-year Dallas coach has a couple of broken vertebrae in his lower back.
“They say he’s lucky not to be paralyzed,” said Reeves, adding that DeCamillis probably will have surgery. The coach was seen being removed on a stretcher wearing a neck brace.
Details about the other injured parties have not been released due to privacy issues, but no one else is thought to have been as seriously injured.
Although the white, tent-like facility- similar to those used by many NFL teams for practice facilities– may look light and airy, it contains metal structural supports and electrical equipment that can be as heavy as a car. The lights began to sway violently in the 64 mph winds minutes before the building collapsed, but the Cowboys staff and the 27 players present continued their workouts until the roof fell in.
I don’t know about you, but if I had 70 people gathered together whose combined net worth is probably somewhere around a half billion dollars, I wouldn’t put them in a giant tent during a thunderstorm and hope they don’t have a car dropped on them.
Sadly one of the Cowboy’s scouts was paralyzed… the team released the info this afternoon.
http://www.star-telegram.com/news/story/1354849.html
What stunned me was this big white tent cost $4 million dollars! I suspect that there is not one of these fancy tents over at the new stadium, were they are going to be moving into this summer.
The odd thing… was this practice field is in a densely populated area… along with their home offices. And nothing else was damaged. Not one roof on any of the homes within feet of this place got touched. Just spooky.
So why were they all still on the field with the lights swinging violently from the ceiling? Didn’t look to safe to me…
Sad to hear what happened to the scout. I’m sure after this he will be set for life. Even though that will not make up for him never being able to walk again.