Producers of the Super Bowl halftime show will delete a bungee-jumping routine after one of the jumpers was killed while practicing in the Louisiana Superdome.
Laura Patterson, 43, of Sarasota, Fla., struck her head on the Dome's floor during the routine late Thursday. She was taken to the city's charity hospital where she was pronounced dead of massive head injuries, hospital spokesman Jerry Romig said."We had a tragic accident in preparation for our halftime show," said NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue at a hastily called news conference early today. "I don't have all the specifics but, as I understand it, the routine was in the nature of a circus act and it happened toward the end of the halftime show."
The accident happened during the third and final run-through, Tagliabue said. It was unknown whether it was human or mechanical error that caused Patterson to hit the floor, but New Orleans police and other authorities were investigating, he said.
Patterson was part of a 16-member professional bungee-jumping group, which included her husband and sister.
Asked whether they would keep that part of the show, Tagliabue said, "Some adjustment will have to take place. We'll review that overnight, but we will not use it. It's obviously a very tragic death."
The NFL planned to release further details later today.
As many as 750 people were in the Superdome, rehearsing for the extravaganza, when the accident occurred shortly after 10 p.m. Thursday, Tagliabue said.
Eddie Chelette of suburban Marrero, a volunteer stagehand, said there were nine jumpers rehearsing the stunt from the uppermost Terrace Level, about 100 feet above the Superdome floor.
"She jumped and, when she came back up, she was limp," he said. "She hit her head hard."
"I ran onto the main stage and told Joe to cut it, cut it," he said of the rubber cord. "We need paramedics right now.,"
The rehearsal began at 4 p.m. and was supposed to end at midnight, Chelette said. The participants were told it would be their last practice before Sunday's performance.
"School kids who were dancing, they were crying," he said. "Everyone else was walking around in a daze."
Select Productions International, which is producing the show, planned a cast of thousands, filled with glitter, glitz and big names. The company refused to discuss the accident.
This year, the halftime show features "The Blues Brothers Bash," a $1.2 million show featuring "The Godfather of Soul," James Brown, rock group ZZ Top and actors Dan Aykroyd, James Belushi and John Goodman.
It will be seen by almost 80,000 people in the Superdome and an estimated 800 million television viewers worldwide.