Overview
- The rappel accident happened during UTSA’s Salute to Armed Forces and Veterans pregame activities on Saturday, Oct. 17, when one of four service members lost control and struck the turf.
- Medical staff and UTSA personnel tended to the injured service member on the field for about 10 minutes before he was placed on a stretcher and transported to a hospital as a Priority 1 patient.
- UTSA and the American Athletic Conference issued statements offering support to those affected and activated wellbeing services for students, staff and attendees.
- Video of the fall spread widely online and some outlets later published an unconfirmed report that the service member had died, a claim that remains disputed because officials have not confirmed that outcome.
- The rappel team has been identified as Detachment 2 of the 6th Combat Training Squadron based at Joint Base San Antonio/Camp Bullis and officials say a working-group review will examine what caused the fall and whether safety changes are needed.