Tragedy struck a Tennessee high school football game on Friday when a skydiver fell to his death during a stunt before players took the field.
The victim’s identity has not been released.
“This was definitely a very unimaginable accident,” Washington County School District Superintendent Jerry Boyd told WVLT.
WJHL
Friday’s incident occurred around 6:30 p.m., about a half hour before the rivalry football game was scheduled to begin, Boyd said.
“Everybody was shocked [and] surprised and they didn’t know what to do,” said Smith, who captured the incident on camera.
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“We ask that everyone keep the family in their thoughts and prayers as they deal with the loss of a beloved husband, father, and grandfather,” Boyd added.
Angela Alley, a spokesperson with Jump TN, said the victim had jumped more than 1,500 times and opened his parachute without issue during Friday’s stunt, according to WVLT. Witnesses did not report seeing anything unusual about the jump, she added.
The Washington County School District and Jump TN did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s requests for comment.
A moment of silence was held for the skydiver before Friday’s game was played, according to WJHL.
Mental health professionals were made available at both schools on Monday to support students, Boyd indicated in his statement.
“We are also deeply concerned for the well-being of all in attendance at the football game that witnessed this terrible accident,” he said, according to NBC News.
Speaking with WJHL, Boyd said it is unclear if skydivers will continue to perform at games in the future: “At this point, I don’t know.”
source: people.com
