Disaster was narrowly avoided when a railing collapsed at FedEx Field, the home of the Washington Football Team, after Week 17 action against the Philadelphia Eagles. We learned shortly after the debacle from a Washington team statement that nobody, including Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts, was thought to have been seriously injured from the incident.
But according to a quartet of fans who were involved in the fall, not everything in the above statement is true, namely the aspect that "everyone involved was offered on-site medical evaluation." 26-year-old Andrew Collins told ESPN's Tim McManus that this simply wasn't the case.
"They didn't ask if anyone was hurt, and they sure as hell didn't ask if anybody needed medical attention," Collins said. "The only thing the staff said to us was to get the F off the field."
Mike Naimoli, who drove to the game with Collins and their respective partners, had the same story — with the "get the F off the field" line also appearing in his recollection of the chaotic moment — and called the statement "completely incorrect." Documents show that Naimoli was diagnosed with a cervical strain, head injury and elbow/knee contusions during a visit to the Inspira Medical Center emergency room in southern New Jersey after the game.
Collins, on the other hand, experienced lower back pain and a pulled groin as a result of the railing collapse. His girlfriend, Marissa Santarlaschi, and Naimoli's fiancée, Morgan French, both suffered what was described as "substantial leg bruising" in the ESPN article. Santarlasci recalls Hurts as the only figure involved in the fall to ask whether or not they were okay.
Though a team official said the railing was not intended or designed to hold hundreds of pounds of weight and that it's supposed to be an area for disabled fans and wheelchair access, the four fans said they were let into that area by security and that there was no signage to suggest that the area wasn't safe for them.
"If Washington Football Team wants to come out and say that the area is restricted, there was no documentation of that at all," Naimoli said. "The one security guard that was right in front of that area swept us in there and was like, 'OK, go ahead over to the tunnel.'"
McManus reports that EMS personnel responded to the scene "within five minutes and began treating those who needed medical attention" and that "they weren't aware of anyone else needing medical attention at that time."
The team and league are still investigating and reviewing the situation.
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