Dallas Cowboys Assistant Rich Behm Paralyzed in Facility Collapse

IRVING, Texas -- A Dallas Cowboys scouting assistant was permanently paralyzed from the waist down after his spine was severed during the collapse of the team's tent-like practice structure in a severe storm.

The team announced Rich Behm was in stable condition at Parkland Hospital on Sunday after surgery to stabilize a fracture to the thoracic spine.

The 33-year-old Behm was among a dozen people hurt in the accident Saturday, and was one of three Cowboys staffers who remained hospitalized.

Joe DeCamillis, 43, the team's new special teams coach, sustained a fracture of one of his cervical vertebrae without paralysis. He was in stable condition at Parkland and scheduled for surgery Monday.

Assistant athletic trainer Greg Gaither, 35, had surgery Saturday night to repair a fracture to the tibia and fibula in his right leg. He is expected to be released from the Baylor Regional Medical Center later this week.

"To the Behm family we extend our love, comfort, and the full support of every person and resource within the organization," Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said in a statement. "Rich is a courageous member of our family and someone for whom we care deeply. We ask for all friends and fans of the Dallas Cowboys to join us in embracing him and his family with their thoughts and prayers at this very difficult time."

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=4132947

This is all very sad to hear.

We really have to get a move on with the research in this area.

That one of the victims was a 33 year old who was impaled...given this new announcement, it now looks like they were talking about him...he's 33. Guess they wanted to let his friends and family know before they announced it. I was hoping whatever part got impaled was something with less damage.
This is horrible.

Sending good thoughts to the Behm family and the entire Cowboys organization.

Sometimes the weather is too bad for any practice sessions and those plastic and aluminum set ups are simply not able to withstand serious weather.

They are really lucky several more people weren't seriously injured.
sp.

best wishes to him and his family.

stem cell research can help in these cases soon.

We're so far behind where we could have been my now.

They were saying this morning it was a microburst in just the wrong place.