A high school football game at the Minnesota Vikings’ training complex ended with a frightening scene Thursday night when a railing collapsed and sent several students tumbling to the ground.
Cretin-Derham Hall and St. Thomas Academy were playing at TCO Stadium when the incident happened at the end of the game. According to The Minnesota Star Tribune, between 20 and 30 Cretin-Derham Hall students fell four or six feet after the railing gave way.
Multiple students were injured and treated onsite by EMT professionals. One spectator was taken to a local hospital for further evaluation, and everyone injured is reported to be recovering and in stable condition.
School president Jeb Myers addressed families in an email that said, 'Last night was a mixture of emotions with the excitement of the team's win, the scare of the fall and injuries, and the exhaustion of the late night,' and added, 'Please join me in praying for all those injured, may they have a speedy recovery.'
The Vikings said team officials have already met with contractors and medical staff to start repairs on the damaged section. The team also plans to 'assess all railings inside the stadium' before other scheduled high school games at the field.
'We are thankful to hear that student has since been released, and we remain in contact with school officials to ensure no other injuries have been reported,' the NFL team said.
The game itself had just ended with Cretin-Derham Hall beating St. Thomas Academy 15-7, snapping a 30-year losing streak in the matchup. In videos shared online, CDH players were seen running toward the stands to celebrate with friends and family before spectators suddenly poured onto the field as the railing collapsed under their weight.
Sophomore Logan Larson described what he saw to KARE 11: 'I just see a bunch of people just jumping up and down. I just saw the railing just fall over,' Larson said. 'I saw, like, 30 people just on the floor.'
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