Structural defects could be the cause for Cowboys collapsed facility

On Tuesday, a draft report was released by a federal agency, who investigated the Cowboys practice facility accident that injured a dozen people. The report said the facility should have survived the May 2 thunderstorm in the Dallas suburb of Irving.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology said the steel and fabric building fell during the storm while the wind speed was 55 mph to 65 mph, far less than the 90 mph wind speed specified by engineering standards for that location. The agency mentioned in the report that Summit Structures LLC, the building’s manufacturer, assumed that the roof fabric could provide support for the frame. Other contributing factors cited by the agency were incorrect calculations of the height and slope of the roof and the assumption that the building was fully enclosed when in fact it had vents and doors.

The collapse of the Cowboys 88,000-square-foot structure injured 12 people, among whom team scouting assistant Rich Behm was paralyzed from the waist down. Behm and Cowboys special teams coach Joe DeCamillas, who suffered a broken vertebra, are suing the Summit Structures and others associated with the project.