According to reports by msnbc.com and multiple other news outlets, six workers preparing Sunday's Super Bowl were hospitalized today when ice fell off Cowboys Stadium. Initial reports indicated that one of the workers was critically injured, but is now in stable condition with a head injury. The Arlington Fire department confirmed that none of the injuries appear to be life-threatening.
"The ice and snow melting off of the Cowboys Stadium roof has caused several sliding snow falls onto the plazas," NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said in an email to the Dallas Morning News. "All stadium entrances have been closed except for the truck tunnel, which is away from the building by a very safe distance. All workers and visitors will now enter and exit through the tunnel until further notice."
The incident has put a further damper on the pre-Super Bowl festivities in Arlington as the freezing cold weather front across the South delivered an additional 5 inches of snow overnight in the area. The National Weather Service said Arlington was among the areas of North Texas that had the largest accumulation Friday morning.
The winter weather has made driving hazardous and has caused the cancellation of hundreds of flights at a time when tens of thousands of football fans were expected to arrive for the Super Bowl. Weather reports indicate the sub-freezing temperatures are likely to be gone by game day, when a high of 44 degrees is expected.