ROCKWOOD, Tenn. – A 60-year-old woman was killed after severe winds ripped the roof off a dugout at a sports complex in Rockwood, Tenn.
As reported by television station WVTL, the incident happened during opening ceremonies for the local youth baseball and softball season at the Brillo Miller Sports Complex.
Rockwood Police Chief Kelly Pittman told WVTL that the woman, later identified as Pamela Simpson, was taken to hospital and later passed away from her injuries. Simpson’s 33-year-old son, Cody, was also injured but later released.
The station spoke with Tiffany Brown, a parent present at the ceremony, who said both children and adults were screaming during the incident.
“It was just crazy,” she said.
In a media statement, Pittman offered prayers and condolences to everyone impacted.
In a separate article from WBIR, a television station in nearby Knoxville, Simpson’s friend, Jeannie Flaherty, described her as a “loving, trusting, [and] caring friend.”
“I will miss her dearly,” Flaherty added.
Brown told WBIR from now on that “if there’s wind blowing,” her daughter will not be at a practice or game.
“Multiple people could have been hurt,” she said.
