FOXSportsSouthwest.com
Updated Feb. 5, 2011
At least six people have been injured, one critically, by ice that fell on them outside Cowboys Stadium, according to a report by Dallas-Fort Worth television station WFAA.
The critically injured person was taken to John Peter Smith Hospital in Fort Worth and has since been upgraded to fair condition. The other five were taken to Arlington Memorial Hospital and have been released.
The NFL has confirmed that the six injured were contractors employed by the NFL, working around the stadium. Win McNamee, a photographer for Getty Images, was one of the people hit by the ice.
"Honestly, while it was hitting me, I was thinking I'm going to die here," McNamee told The Dallas Morning News.
McNamee broke his shoulder in four places. He is returning to Washington, D.C. to undergo surgery.
All work has been suspended and a safety zone around the stadium has been created, with access restricted until all the ice comes down from above the entrances and it is safe to be in those areas.
The Metroplex was prepared for the snow fall Thursday night, but the predictions of 3 inches quickly were squashed when many woke up Friday morning, with some parts of North Texas receiving 8 inches of snow.
Schools across the area were closed for a fourth consecutive day. But unlike the previous three days, the clouds disappeared around 1 p.m. and the sun broke through the sky, quickly heating the snow and ice on the ground and rooftops.
Some of the falling ice also damaged the temporary tents that have been placed around the stadium.
The weather is causing havoc for those traveling to the Super Bowl. More than 600 flights had been delayed or canceled Thursday morning at DFW International Airport.
Dallas-Love Field Airport, the home base of Southwest Airlines, was shut down Thursday morning due to the snow.
MSNBC is reporting that American Airlines, which is headquartered in North Texas and is the dominant carrier at DFW, was giving priority to flights from Chicago, Pittsburgh and Milwaukee so that the fans of the Steelers and Packers could make it to the game on Sunday.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
