3:38 PM Sat, May 02, 2009 | Permalink | Yahoo! Buzz
Tim MacMahon E-mail News tips

The afternoon practice ended in horrifying fashion when the Cowboys' indoor facility collapsed.

While a violent thunderstorm pounded rain down on the roof, the lights started shaking back and forth. Then chaos broke out, as the facility collapsed and players, coaches, reporters and team personnel scrambled for safety.

Several people were trapped under the wreckage. Police and emergency personnel have arrived on the scene.


UPDATE: According to a Cowboys spokesman, at least four members of the team's support staff are being taken to the hospital. All players and coaches are believed to be safe. Rescue personnel is still searching through the debris.

It looks like it was a tornado that hit it. :(

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May 2, 2009

Special teams coach Joe DeCamillis taken to hospital

4:27 PM Sat, May 02, 2009 | Permalink | Yahoo! Buzz
Barry Vigoda E-mail News tips

From Chuck Carlton at the scene:

Cowboys special teams coach Joe DeCamillis was taken from Cowboys headquarters on a stretcher with a neck brace.

Our reporters Todd Archer, Tim MacMahon and Chuck Carlton are still on the scene and will continue to report on the situation as they can.



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The entry "Special teams coach Joe DeCamillis taken to hospital" is tagged: Cowboys , collapse , practice facility



Reaction from Cowboys owner Jerry Jones at the Kentucky Derby

4:17 PM Sat, May 02, 2009 | Permalink | Yahoo! Buzz
Barry Vigoda E-mail News tips

Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones is at the Kentucky Derby. He told NBC's Bob Costas:

"Our rookies, approximately 27 of them, recently drafted free agents as well as our coaching staff as well as our scouting were the principle people in there. A few media. We know of at least one injury. They did not get good warning there and the structure did collapse. And we're assessing who's injured at this particular time."

WOW!! I sure hope he'll be OK. :(

Cowboys' indoor practice facility roof collapses
By Mac Engel
tengel@star-telegram.com

IRVING -- The Dallas Cowboys indoor practice facility collapsed during an intense storm this afternoon during the team’s rookie minicamp. It happened at approximately 3:30 p.m.

Emergency crews were immediately called to the scene and were trying to get both players and members of the Cowboys staff cleared out from underneath the steel frame and heavy covers that housed the indoor facility.

Cowboys officials said all players have been accounted for and four staff members have been taken to the hospitals with injuries. Cowboys secondary coach Brett Maxie suffered a laceration on his leg; special teams coach Joe DeCamillis was seen immediately afterward walking around and appeared to be OK. But he was later taken to the hospital on a stretcher.

There were no fatalities.

Members of the media were asked to clear the premises about 15 minutes after the facility collapsed.

As the team went through drills and practices, the wind was so intense that the lights from high above began to sway violently for about two minutes. Outside, a portable toilet was blown down and effectively blocked one of the exit doors.

With the winds outside howling, one end of the building began to shake and the structure began to shudder and creak before it collapsed. At that point, players, coaches, scouts and members of the media hurriedly ran over anything to get out from underneath the collapsing structure.

Those located on or near the sidelines had the best chance for a safer escape. Those in the middle of the field had a much more difficult time getting out.

About three minutes later when the storm blew over, players and coaches were trying to help other team and staff members get out from under the building.

Everyone inside the structure at the time was visibly shaken and frightened. Cowboys coach Wade Phillips was trying to direct emergency crews to at least three people who were trapped.

Team scout Chris Hall was one of the front-office members trapped underneath the frame, but was speaking clearly. He apparently has suffered multiple arm injuries.

http://www.star-telegram.com/804/story/1353967.html

Tornado Terrell hits :lol:

passes through San Francisco, Philly, Dallas and Buffalo...

Tornado Terrell hits :lol:

passes through San Francisco, Philly, Dallas and Buffalo...
OUCH...:eek: :eek: :eek: True, though. :lol:

I hope everybody is alright! What a way to start a season.

D

I hope everybody is alright! What a way to start a season.

D
They'll certainly never forget it!! :eek:

Big D

I guess the D stood for destruction

destruction of the team's character aquiring T.O. & tearing apart the team. He's gone but they need a heavy detox program to release his evil spirits still reminaing :lol: :lol: & I guesss destruction of the facility they practice in. sucks for them.

OUCH...:eek: :eek: :eek: True, though. :lol:

Lol

Lol
Not arguing!! :lol:

Big D

I guess the D stood for destruction

destruction of the team's character aquiring T.O. & tearing apart the team. He's gone but they need a heavy detox program to release his evil spirits still reminaing :lol: :lol: & I guesss destruction of the facility they practice in. sucks for them.
Very good observations Kyle! I agree.

Very good observations Kyle! I agree.
I think these scenes will be added as bonus features to the next DVD version of The Exorcist. :eek: :lol:

I think these scenes will be added as bonus features to the next DVD version of The Exorcist. :eek: :lol:
:brent :clap :rofl:

It looks like it was a tornado that hit it. :(

It sure did!!

I think these scenes will be added as bonus features to the next DVD version of The Exorcist. :eek: :lol:

:lol: probably lol

Very good observations Kyle! I agree.

lol thanks. they interviewed jerry jones at the kentucky derby site, and he said around 4:30-5pm that their were no casualties or trouble YET....wonder what it's been like in Texas since..

Nothing says class like joking about an accident where people were hurt. :rolleyes:

Cowboys Practice Arena Collapses

(May 2) - Cowboys special teams coach Joe DeCamillis was among 12 people injured when winds just shy of tornado strength ripped through the roof of the team's indoor practice facility during a rookie minicamp Saturday.

The storm hit while 27 players were going through workouts. There were about 70 people in the facility, counting coaches, other team personnel and media, officials said.

Ten of the injured were taken by emergency vehicles. Two others went to hospitals on their own.

"This worked out very, very well from a medical point of view," said Dr. Paul Pepe, head of emergency medical services for Dallas County. "Right now, I think we don't have anybody who is in a life-threatening situation."

The white, tent-like building is large enough to be seen from miles away. It was built in 2003, for Bill Parcells' first season as coach.

Storms often make loud noises inside the so-called bubble, but this time overhead lights swayed violently. One of the team's video staff was the first out the door, followed by Nick Eatman of DallasCowboys.com. Eatman was hit by something and went down a few feet away, then heard someone screaming for help. He recognized it was Todd Archer of The Dallas Morning News.

Eatman and colleague Josh Ellis tried freeing Archer but the structure wouldn't budge. "It was like a car," Eatman said. Then safety DeAngelo Smith and linebacker Brandon Williams were able to get it up just enough for Archer to squirm out.

"All I saw was blue jerseys," said Archer, whose right elbow and legs were scraped. "I was trapped, I couldn't move. Then those guys lifted it up — not very far, but I was able to move from my side to my back. ... Once I got out of there, I looked back and the whole thing was down."

Archer said that as he fled for shelter, other players appeared to be stepping through the debris looking for others in need of help.

Eatman said one of the swaying lights wound up more than two football fields away. The giant blue star atop the building lay crumpled on the ground. The storm knocked out power at team headquarters and splintered trees across the property.

Larry Rodriguez, a local television cameraman who was in the news several years ago after he was attacked by Kenny Rogers while filming the former Texas Rangers pitcher, was treated with six stitches for a cut on a hand.

"We checked and we can't find any other damage than this particular location," said David Tull, an Irving police spokesman. "The nearby area didn't have any reports of structural damage."

Names and details of their injuries were not released due to privacy issues. DeCamillis was seen being removed on a stretcher wearing a neck brace.

"I saw it coming down and didn't have time to react," secondary coach Dave Campo said. "I hit the ground and was able to get back up."

The storm was producing winds measured at 64 mph just before it struck the Cowboys facility, said National Weather Service meteorologist Joe Harris in Fort Worth. A weak tornado is in the range of 65-110 mph, according to NWS guidelines. Power was knocked out for less than an hour.

"We're lucky no one got electrocuted with all the water in the building," head coach Wade Phillips said. "A couple of players had minor injuries, but they were all right."

This was the second of three scheduled days of practices, but Sunday's session has been canceled.

IRVING, Texas -- Dallas Cowboys special teams coach Joe DeCamillis broke his back, and 11 other people were injured when winds just shy of tornado strength ripped through the roof of the team's indoor practice facility during a rookie minicamp Saturday.

Former NFL coach Dan Reeves, who is DeCamillis' father-in-law, said the first-year Cowboys assistant has a couple of broken vertebrae in his lower back.

"They say he's lucky not to be paralyzed," said Reeves, who added that DeCamillis probably will have surgery. DeCamillis was seen wearing a neck brace while being removed on a stretcher.

http://www.nfl.com/news/story?id=090...o&confirm=true

Thank God nobody died from this...

David Buehler: 'My initial thought was, how many people are dead in this?'
9:09 PM Sat, May 02, 2009 | Permalink | Yahoo! Buzz
Tim MacMahon E-mail News tips
David Buehler, the kicker/special teams player the Cowboys drafted in the fifth round, was standing on the sideline when the team's indoor facility began to collapse. He bolted out a side door and was sprinting across a practice field when a pole crashed down on him.

Buehler, dazed by a blow to his head, wriggled out from under the pole and crawled approximately 15 yards through pools of water before turning around and looking at the wreckage.

"My initial thought was, how many people are dead in this?" Buehler said tonight. "I thought I was the lucky one."

Buehler thinks he actually suffered the worst injuries among the players, although he wasn't severely hurt. He needed three stitches to close a gash on his right knee. He also has a concussion, sore neck, skin ripped off his ear and a cut on his forehead. Yet he feels very fortunate, a feeling he said was shared by his teammates.

"Guys were in shock," Buehler said, "and very thankful

Nothing says class like joking about an accident where people were hurt. :rolleyes:
I was joking about the TO references, not the actual incident. I know several people were hospitalized and hope they all make full and speedy recoveries.

I was joking about the TO references, not the actual incident. I know several people were hospitalized and hope they all make full and speedy recoveries.
I'm sure all of us were only joking about T.O. and not this incident. And I'm sure we all wish the injured folks a full and speedy recovery. I know for me humor is sometimes a defense mechanism that I use to deal with a stressful, traumatic situation like this. If I offended you in any way Janice, I am so sorry.

I saw the video last night... scary! :eek:

I saw the video last night... scary! :eek:

Yeah, I saw it too. Looked more like a tornado.

Yeah, I saw it too. Looked more like a tornado.
Do they know for sure yet??

Do they know for sure yet??

No, I'm not sure they know but I got the sense it was just a big storm since if it was a tornado, I would think there would have been more injured and fatalities.

No, I'm not sure they know but I got the sense it was just a big storm since if it was a tornado, I would think there would have been more injured and fatalities.
That's true.

They said on the News today that the area was under a Tornado warning at the time. But they only identified the reason for the building collapse as strong wind and rain.

Cowboys Staffer Paralyzed After Accident

IRVING, Texas (May 3) -- A Dallas Cowboys scouting assistant sustained permanent paralysis from the waist down after he was injured when the team's tent-like practice structure collapse in a severe storms.

The team announced that Rich Behm was in stable condition at Parkland Hospital on Sunday after surgery to stabilize a fracture that severed the spinal cord.

The 33-year-old Behm was among a dozen people hurt in the accident Saturday, and was one of three Cowboys staffers who remained hospitalized.

Joe DeCamillis, the team's special teams coach, sustained a fracture of one of his cervical vertebrae without paralysis. He was in stable condition and scheduled for surgery Monday.

Others felt lucky to escape with only cuts and bruises.

Cowboys Staffer Paralyzed After Accident

IRVING, Texas (May 3) -- A Dallas Cowboys scouting assistant sustained permanent paralysis from the waist down after he was injured when the team's tent-like practice structure collapse in a severe storms.

The team announced that Rich Behm was in stable condition at Parkland Hospital on Sunday after surgery to stabilize a fracture that severed the spinal cord.

The 33-year-old Behm was among a dozen people hurt in the accident Saturday, and was one of three Cowboys staffers who remained hospitalized.

Joe DeCamillis, the team's special teams coach, sustained a fracture of one of his cervical vertebrae without paralysis. He was in stable condition and scheduled for surgery Monday.

Others felt lucky to escape with only cuts and bruises.
OMG...That is awful. My prayers go to him and his family. :(

Good gesture from Coach Zorn of the Redskins.

Minicamp Ends with Talk of Cowboys, Orakpo


Drenched players just came off the field at Redskins Park after a slightly abbreviated practice on the final day of minicamp. Coach Jim Zorn cut two periods of work to keep things streamlined, but said that despite the soggy conditions, "We actually got some work done."

Zorn said that members of Washington's staff have been in contact with the Dallas Cowboys after a storm destroyed the team's bubble yesterday during a rookie camp, injuring 12 people. Zorn said special teams coach Danny Smith spoke with Dallas special teams coach Joe DeCamillis, who was hospitalized.

DeCamillis, who has broken broken bones in his lower back, is the son-in-law of former coach Dan Reeves. Reeves told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram on Saturday night: "As far as we know, he has to have some surgery. They say he is lucky he is not paralyzed."

"I asked our guys, if you're a praying man, to really remember those guys," Zorn said. "What a tragedy that is. How unpredictable that must be. Fortunately, they didn't have 115 guys in that bubble at that time because there might have been a lot more injuries. So we're thankful that there were very few."

Zorn, who asked for a practice bubble when he was hired here a year ago, said he is still holding out hope the team will build an indoor practice facility of some sort.

<snip>

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/red...-and-ends.html