Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Rams, Stafford family covering hospital bills for injured photographer

By Zac Wassink | Last updated 2/17/22

Wednesday's parade to celebrate the Los Angeles Rams defeating the Cincinnati Bengals in this past Sunday's Super Bowl LVI clash was a joyous occasion for many involved but not for photographer Kelly Smiley. As Michael David Smith explained for Pro Football Talk, Smiley suffered what she later said was a fractured spine after she fell off a stage while attempting to snap some pictures:

Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford earned criticism from some Twitter users when a video surfaced showing him walking away from Smiley after both he and his wife, also named Kelly, witnessed the incident:

@AdamSchefter get on Matthew Stafford watching a photographer fall of the stage at the Rams parade and walk away ‍♂️ pic.twitter.com/LfjSJ3fzYy
— LoganTheHammer (@LoganTheHammer) February 16, 2022

According to TMZ Sports and Corinne Heller of E! News, both the Rams and Stafford family addressed the matter via an official statement released Thursday afternoon local time:

"We have been in communication with Kelly Smiley since yesterday's incident and we are sorry for what happened. As we told Kelly, we will be covering all her hospital bills and replacing her cameras. We wish her a speedy recovery."

Smiley also had multiple cameras damaged as a result of the fall. A GoFundMe to assist her had been created before Thursday's statement and was at nearly $43,000 heading into the evening hours.

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