Rams, Stafford to pay medical costs of injured photographer
The Los Angeles Rams and quarterback Matthew Stafford said Thursday they will pay the medical costs of a photographer injured while covering the team's Super Bowl victory parade.
Photographer Kelly Smiley suffered a fractured spine and damage to equipment on Wednesday when she fell off of a stage hosting Stafford and other Rams players during a rally to mark the team's Super Bowl win.
Footage of the incident, and Stafford's seemingly indifferent reaction to the photographer's fall, went viral on social media.
Smiley later revealed on Twitter she had suffered a fractured spine in the accident and that both of her cameras were broken.
A GoFundMe account was set up to cover Smiley's hospital costs soon after the incident.
However, the Rams and Stafford said in a joint statement on Thursday that they would be covering Smiley's expenses.
"We have been in communication with Kelly Smiley since yesterday's incident and we are sorry for what happened," the statement read.
"As we told Kelly, we will be covering all her hospital bills and replacing her cameras. We wish her a speedy recovery."
(P.Toussaint--LPdF)