Andrew Demboski, 21, Dies After Fall From Jumbotron, A Climb Many Others Have Made
Like many young men, Andrew Demboski did “crazy stuff,” a high school friend remembered.
In the early morning hours Saturday, Andrew, a student at Mississippi State University, did something “crazy” again: He climbed a Jumbotron at Wade Davis Stadium. Sadly, he fell, hit his head, and died, the Sun Herald reported. Two other young men with him weren’t injured.
Hunter Sheffield was friends with Demboski at Ocean Springs High School, where he graduated in 2013.
“I was shocked when I heard that someone from Ocean Springs fell off the Jumbotron and I couldn’t believe that it was Andrew. He did some crazy stuff when we were young, but we all did. I just can’t believe this happened to him.”
Local authorities are calling Andrew’s death a “tragic accident.” He was 21-years-old.
Climbing the Jumbotron at MSU seems to be a common feat among students. According to the Washington Post, the scoreboard is described as “one of college football’s largest high-definition video boards,” located near the south end zone. It cost $6.1 million; the board itself is 152 feet wide by 135 feet six inches tall and the screen is 111 feet wide by 47 feet high.
MSU students have accessed and climbed the Jumbotron before for “dares or for excitement and to get a view of the entire campus,” the Herald reported.
The Clarion Ledger noted a 2013 post on a fan message board called Six Pack Speak, which stated that climbing the Jumbotron — the highest spot on campus — can be achieved “fairly easily.” People so inclined can access the Jumbotron through a usually unlocked door, then climb multiple ladders to the top.
MSU police don’t know how Andrew Demboski and his friends got into the stadium Saturday morning. Apparently, following these well-known instructions, he and two other male students climbed to the top together.
At the time of the accident, Demboski was evidently walking along a wide sheet-metal awning along the top of the board when he slipped and fell. Andrew plummeted 18 feet onto a platform below and onto his head.
The local fire department responded to the scene and had to use a “high-angle rescue team” to get Andrew down from the platform. As he was being moved to ground level, emergency personnel tried for an hour to regain a pulse. Their efforts failed.
Officials said that Demboksi died of head injuries and also suffered cardiac arrest as a result of the fall. He was declared dead at 1:30 a.m.
Oktibbeha County Coroner Michael Hunt called Andrew’s death a “tragic accident.”
Andrew Demboski, Mississippi State student, dies after fall from Jumbotron https://t.co/1vhMZ9tIwJ pic.twitter.com/nJkI7yLHJc
— UJReview (@UJReview) May 8, 2016
“What he was walking on was not designed to be walked on. We’re lucky all three of them didn’t get hurt.”
Demboski’s body has been sent away for autopsy and toxicology testing, but no one has stated that alcohol played a role in the incident. MSU confirmed his death, and an investigation into the accident in conjunction with county officials; the university’s student association was “heartbroken” by the news.
Andrew’s fall from the Jumbotron occurred the night before graduation and after a victory for the college’s baseball team over Missouri.
Demboski, an Ocean Springs native, was a junior studying environmental economics and management. College officials called him a “very talented student.”
A young woman who has been identified as Andrew’s girlfriend, Marissa Gonzalez, wrote about the student on Facebook. She called Demboski “a very simplistic guy who made you laugh under any circumstance.”
“I love him more than words can say. I’m praying for him and his family for peace. His family lost a brother, son, grandchild, and cousin.”
[Image via Mississippi State University Facebook]
