A member of the NBC Sports staff fell about 50 feet while getting ready for the Sunday Night Football game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Green Bay Packers. They were seriously hurt.
The event happened late on Saturday night at Acrisure Stadium (previously Heinz Field) in Pittsburgh. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette said that the man was working for a vendor for NBC Sports and was setting up production equipment on the main scoreboard when he fell.
Media said that police, firefighters, and several ambulances got to the stadium around 10 p.m. local time. First responders found that the individual had fallen about 50 feet from the main scoreboard structure onto a catwalk area in the middle of the building.
Big Rescue Operation
Because of where the fall happened, the rescue operation needed specific skills. Pittsburgh Public Safety said that rescue medics and firefighters got to the patient, stabilized him, and put him in a Stokes basket, which is a kind of rescue stretcher. Then, they used a rope system to lower the basket to an ambulance that was waiting.
The injured worker was taken to Allegheny General Hospital in critical condition because he had serious injuries, mostly to his lower body. Since he got to the hospital, there has been no official word on how the man is doing.
Official Statements Made
On Sunday morning, the Pittsburgh Steelers released a statement about the event:
“Something happened last night at Acrisure Stadium while personnel were getting ready for the Sunday Night Football game. A crew worker fell while setting up production equipment. The person was transferred to Allegheny General Hospital, and we are waiting for confirmation on their status.
Pittsburgh Public Safety also said that detectives from the Pittsburgh Police Department deployed drones to record the scene as part of the investigation. The message went into depth about the rescue effort: “First responders who got there first discovered from other people working at the stadium that the man had fallen roughly 50 feet from the main scoreboard to a mid-level catwalk area. Rescue medics and firefighters were able to get to the patient, stabilize him, and put him in a Stokes basket. They then used a rope system to drop him to an ambulance that was waiting.
The game went on as planned, and the Green Bay Packers beat the Pittsburgh Steelers.