Falling Light Pole Injures HS Soccer Player, Referee

Emergency personnel were called to a soccer field Saturday to tend to two people injured by a falling light pole.

Arkansas TV station KFSM reports that a player and an official participating in a game at Clarksville High School were rushed to the hospital after being struck by the pole. Video of the incident was captured on social media.

⁦@racaldwe⁩ High School boys tournament at Clarksville, Mena vs Dardanelle, Sat, 3/9/19. Wind broke light pole, Mena player with cuts to head and leg, referee with both bones broken in leg. Both taken to hospital via ambulance pic.twitter.com/au4mPMtVAu

— Steve Harvey (@SteveHarveyAR) March 10, 2019

The game between Mena and Dardenelle — both Arkansas high schools — was part of a soccer jamboree event taking place at Clarksville. Mena player Andrew Davis was grazed by the pole, and told KFSM that his head, hands and knee were injured by glass. The injured referee was pinned under the pole, and suffered the bone breaks in his leg.

From AB: Importance of Support-Pole Specification, Inspection

The pole was apparently knocked down by a strong gust of wind — and it wasn’t the only one to be collapse under the circumstances. A second light pole at Gravette (Ark.) High School was reportedly blown over in the corner of the football stadium, falling into a grassy area according to KFSM. Nobody was in the area when it fell, and no injuries were reported.

From AB: CPSC Issues Alert Regarding Light Pole Inspections