A photographer who fell off a stage and broke her spine during the Los Angeles Rams’ Super Bowl celebration on Wednesday will have her medical expenses paid for and cameras replaced by the team, quarterback Matthew Stafford and his wife, Kelly.
Freelance photographer Kelly Smiley confirmed the back injury in her retweet of a video of the incident.
In the video, Matthew Stafford sees Smiley fall and turns and walks away while drinking from a water bottle. Kelly Stafford rushes towards the edge of the stage to look down toward Smiley in a bid to help.
Matthew Stafford drew criticism on social media for his reaction.
“We have been in communication with Kelly Smiley since yesterday’s incident and we are sorry for what happened,” the Rams and the Staffords said in a joint statement. “As we told Kelly, we will be covering all her hospital bills and replacing her cameras. We wish her a speedy recovery.”
A GoFundMe account set up on Smiley’s behalf had received more than $45,000 in donations as of early Thursday evening.
Smiley’s website said she is a photographer for NFL and NHL games in the Los Angeles area. She is a Long Beach native and a 2018 graduate of San Diego State.
–Field Level Media
