Fans fall after railing breaks at FedEx Field following WFT game originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
A FedEx Field railing gave way and fans fell in a heap near Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts as he walked off the field after a 20-16 victory over the Washington Football Team on Sunday.
The incident was caught on video by NFL Network reporter Mike Garafolo. Hurts was about to leave the field via the visiting team’s exit tunnel and Eagles fans in attendance reached over the railing to congratulate Hurts on the victory.
However, as soon as Hurts begins to give the Eagles fans high-fives, one of the side rails collapses with fans falling onto the field.
Hurts did get out of the way just in time and helped the fans who fell get up while remaining calm under pressure. Despite some fans laughing off the incident and taking a quick picture with Hurts, the AP’s Stephen Whyno reports that an Associated Press photo staffer was injured in the collapse.
“I’m just happy everybody is safe from it,” Hurts said. “That’s crazy stuff right there. That was a real dangerous situation. I’m just so happy everybody bounced back from it, it seemed like. Passionate Eagles fans. I love it.”
After the incident, FedEx Field staff did fix the rail temporarily by putting zip-ties to hold everything together, according to NBC Sports Washington’s Pete Hailey.
The incident was a reminder of a more dangerous railing collapse at Philadelphia’s old Veterans Stadium during the annual Army – Navy game in 1998. That day the front row in the east end zone at The Vet collapsed as Army cadets cheered for an on-field CBS camera. Eight students were injured.
Veterans Stadium opened in 1971 and closed for good in 2003 to make way for Lincoln Financial Field, the Eagles’ current home stadium. The railing collapse happened in its 27th season. FedEx Field opened in Landover. Md. in 1997 and just concluded its 25th season with WFT’s regular-season home finale on Sunday.
Twice this season – during the Sept. 12 season-opener vs. the Los Angeles Chargers and the Nov. 30 Monday Night Football game against the Seattle Seahawks – water has fallen onto fans attending games at FedEx Field via burst pipes.