ARLINGTON — Emergency crews atop Cowboys Stadium have rescued two workers who fell from a roof area while doing maintenance. Both men suffered multiple injuries in the spill.
Arlington Assistant Fire Chief Don Crowson says the two men who worked for Birdair were on the top hatch of the retractable-roof venue around 7:20 a.m. Thursday when they apparently slipped on a patch of ice.
He said their fall was halted by the lip of the stadium roof after tumbling between 50 and 75 feet. They had not been wearing safety harnesses.
It took rescue workers about a half hour to reach the injured men atop the $1.2 billion stadium where the Cowboys began playing this season. It was a delicate operation for the fire department.
"Essentially they had to make their way to the parapet or the lip of the roof; secure them in a Stokes basket — it's a rescue stretcher — and they transported them to the end," Chief Crowson said. "They connected them to a hauling system which lifted them back up into the roof on the east side and then lowered them down inside the building."
One patient went by helicopter ambulance to Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas. He was said to have suffered "significant" injuries to his head and neck. He also had a broken leg.
The other worker was taken to John Peter Smith Hospital in Fort Worth for treatment of a back injury.
Both men were members of the Iron Workers Union 263, which is headquartered in Arlington. A 45-year member of the union responded to the accident and talked with the wife of the worker with the least serious injuries.
Steve Anthony said that worker actually phoned his wife from the rooftop as he waited for rescue.
"They were trying to go up a ladder," he said. "One went out and slipped on the ice; the other one went to get him because he was down. He tripped and stumbled and fell on him. They both slid down that roof."
Anthony said he doesn't know why the men were not using a safety harness. He said union iron workers get extra training in safety and undergo a rigorous apprenticeship.
Stadium officials said the men had working to diagnose a problem with the retractable roof. They worked for Birdair, a roofing subcontractor for Manhattan Construction.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration will investigate circumstances surrounding the accident. It could be six months before a report is issued. A lawyer for Birdair said the company is cooperating with OSHA, Manhattan Construction and the Dallas Cowboys in the investigation.
According to the team's Web site, the roof at Cowboys Stadium is one of the largest domed sports structures in the world, at 660,800 square feet. The support arches, soaring 292 feet above the playing field, bolster the retractable roof, described as the world's longest single-span roof structure.
The Cowboys' indoor practice facility in Irving collapsed in a wind storm May 2, paralyzing a member of the team's scouting department from the waist down and injuring 11 others less severely.
WFAA-TV reporters Cynthia Vega and Jim Douglas in Arlington and the Associated Press contributed to this story
