Photo: Getty Images
In a now-viral video, cameras caught the scary moment a photographer slipped off stage right in front of Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford during the Super Bowl victory parade in Los Angeles on Wednesday, February 16.
According to FOX5, the photojournalist and San Diego State University alum named Kelly Smiley fractured her spine and broke two cameras after the fall. But what's really catching people's attention is that the video shows Stafford making a shocked face after watching Smiley fall and immediately turning and walking away. His wife, Kelly, rushed to the edge of the stage to look down at Smiley after the fall.
Later, Smiley tweeted that a trip to the emergency room and x-rays revealed a spinal fracture. Loved ones have created a GoFundMe page, which is no longer accepting new donations, to help with her medical expenses and broken equipment.
“Since Kelly is a working photographer, she needs this gear to help keep her working after fully recovering,” the fundraiser’s organizer wrote. “Kelly is loved by all who know her and is a well-respected individual in the photography community.”
According to FOX5, the Staffords and Rams emailed a statement to the Los Angeles Times that read, "As we told Kelly, we will be covering all her hospital bills and replacing her cameras... We wish her a speedy recovery."
Smiley is a photo editor for the NFL and a freelance photographer, according to her personal website. She graduated from SDSU in 2018 and was a staff photographer and photo editor at The Daily Aztec.