Tragedy struck the Mississippi State community Saturday when 21-year-old student Andrew Dembowski died early this morning after falling from the Davis Wade Stadium Jumbotron.
Alongside two other Mississippi State students, Dembowski climbed to the top of the scoreboard, where he slipped off a metal awning on the roof of the Jumbotron. Oktibbeha County Coroner Michael Hunt said Dembowski went into cardiac arrest and apparently died from head injuries resulting from the fall, according to WTVA-TV.
The Starkville Fire Department rescued him from the scoreboard, and paramedics worked on him for “about an hour” in an unsuccessful attempt to save his life.
“It appears to be a tragic accident,” Hunt said.
The tragedy struck on a day of celebration on the Starkville campus; Mississippi State held graduation festivities just hours before.
Said Mississippi State in a statement:
“MSU can confirm the death of a student in an apparent accidental fall in the early morning hours today on the MSU campus near the M-Club building. The student is Andrew Scott Demboski, 21, of Ocean Springs. He was a junior Environmental Economics and Management major in the MSU College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Andrew was a very talented student. Our campus is saddened by this loss on the day of Spring Commencement and we all mourn Andrew’s passing and are keeping his family in our prayers.
“An investigation into this incident is ongoing by MSU and county officials. MSU will have no additional comment on this matter until noon on Monday, May 9.”