AP Photo/Alex Brandon

Fans Say WFT Didn't Offer Medical Evaluation After Railing Collapse at FedEx Field

Timothy Rapp

Four of the fans who fell onto FedEx Field after a railing broke following the game, suffering minor injuries, told ESPN's Tim McManus that the Washington Football Team didn't offer them medical evaluation at the stadium despite a statement suggesting otherwise. 

"They didn't ask if anyone was hurt, and they sure as hell didn't ask if anybody needed medical attention," 26-year-old Andrew Collins told McManus. "The only thing the staff said to us was to get the F off the field."

The WFT released the following statement after the incident:

But Mike Naimoli, 26, called that statement "completely incorrect," and said the fans who fell were told: "'Everybody get the F off the field,' and [they] quickly grabbed us away from Jalen [Hurts] and shooed us up into the stands."

Naimoli said he went to the hospital after the game and was diagnosed with a cervical strain,  a head injury and elbow and knee contusions.

"I was the last person to fall," 24-year-old Morgan French, Naimoli's fiancee, told McManus. "I was on top of everyone so I quickly jumped up, and the security guard literally pulled me up by my two arms and got me off the field. I didn't have time to process. I was more so in shock."

She said she suffered bruises on each leg from the fall. 

While the WFT contended that the area the fans fell from was a disabled section designed for wheelchairs, and that the railing wasn't load bearing, Naimoli said that security guards told him and others that they were allowed in that section. 

"If Washington Football Team wants to come out and say that the area is restricted, there was no documentation of that at all," he 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.'"

FedEx Field has had more than a few issues this season, including water being sprayed on fans on two different occasions: 

The Philadelphia Eagles (9-7) beat Washington (6-10) on Sunday, 20-16, officially eliminating the WFT from playoff contention. The Eagles clinched a playoff berth later on Sunday night after the Green Bay Packers beat the Minnesota Vikings. 

   

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