Vet Stadium Railing Collapse

A former West Point cadet who broke his neck in a railing collapse at Veterans Stadium during the annual Army-Navy game five years ago settled his civil lawsuit against the city for more than $1 million on Wednesday, just as testimony in the trial was about to begin. Kevin Galligan, 26, will get $1.05 million from the city, the company that installed the handrails and the contractor responsible for crowd management at the game.

Announcer: This is Fox 29, “10 O’clock News.”

News Anchor: It was an unforgettable scene, the Army-Navy game in 1998, when nine West Point cadets and two others fell from the stands at the vet. Nearly four and a half years later, a lawsuit is scheduled to go to trial here in Philadelphia. Dave Schratwieser talked to one of the victims who was suing.

Dave: December 5th, 1998 is a day Kevin Galligan will never forget. Unfortunately, it was a day that changed the then West Point cadets’ life forever. With six minutes to go in the annual matchup between rivals Army and Navy, Army pulled ahead. The fans went wild and then fell silent. The unthinkable happened.

Kevin: I was in the front row right against the railing and basically the camera came by, and everybody kind of surged to get to the camera. And then all of a sudden it broke and we all fell. I landed head first right here and basically through my hands, but I only remember the falling.

Man: Twitching on the ground, like he had gone into convulsions or something like that. And he was hurting pretty bad.

Mary-Lynn: Well, I stepped back sort of to let the cadets have their moment and that’s when everyone just plummeted in front of me. I remember looking over the edge and seeing Kevin convulsing violently. I absolutely think it was a miracle that I didn’t fall. In fact, a medical friend of mine said to me, “Mary-Lynn, if you had fallen, you’d most likely be dead.”

Dave: Nine West Point cadets and two military prep school students were injured in the railing collapse. Kevin was rushed to Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in critical condition.

Kevin: The main injury was a broken neck, compressed C5 fracture.

Mary-Lynn: My first impulse was asking, “Is he gonna be paralyzed?” I got to see him very briefly where he gave me his class ring to take care of and then from then on, I knew nothing.

Dave: Once Kevin was stabilized, he was transported back to a hospital at West Point. He managed to get back to class and graduate on time.

Kevin: It was a miraculous recovery. I mean, I only had to wear a neck brace for three months and, you know, considering what could have happened, paralysis, etc., I’m extremely lucky.

Dave: Like any good military man, Kevin had a master plan, graduate from West Point, attend infantry officer training and ranger school. But as time marched on, Kevin’s injury took its toll on his dream of a military career and following in his late father’s footsteps.

Kevin: I had things where I’d, you know, forget a lot, get very dizzy. My right hand would go numb a lot. I went to the orthopedic surgeon prior to ranger school and he couldn’t believe I was in the Army. You know, he said my neck was not strong enough to be in the Army. And really go. And, you know, it was good for me to get more experience.

Dave: A short time later, Kevin received the devastating news.

Kevin: If I can’t fight in combat, I really can’t be in the Army is basically what they told me.

Dave: He was given an honorable medical discharge.

Kevin: Growing up as a little boy, you know, my father was in the military. So, I always wanted to be a military guy, be in the Army. I’m not a quitter and that’s why it was so hard for me to leave the military because I did enjoy it.

Mary-Lynn: There certainly were tough times, particularly when he was finding out that he wouldn’t be able to stay in the Army. Emotionally, I think that was very tough for him.

Dave: The war in Iraq has been especially tough.

Kevin: A lot of times I feel like, you know, why did this happen? You know, why can’t I be out there serving my country with my brethren? I spent five years training to do this and why can’t I do it?

Dave: Kevin’s legal team heads to court this summer to take on the city, the company that installed the railing at the vet and the security company in charge on the field. His lawyers plan to argue that the railing was severely corroded and broken in several places, and not properly inspected by city workers. They will also argue the security company allowed a television cameraman too close to the cadets who pushed their way to the front of the railing so they could be on national television.

Kevin: Mary-Lynn and I are both religious, and we think that, you know, for some reason God had a plan for us.

Dave: Kevin says his family, friends, and Mary-Lynn are what got him through this ordeal. He’s now an investment banker in New York with hopes of going to graduate school. Kevin says once in a while he still gets dizzy spells and aches in his neck. But he’s working 12 to 14 hour days trying to keep up with his work and compensate for an injury that changed his life. Dave Schratwieser, Fox News.