Rams, Staffords covering photographer's expenses after parade injury

Matthew and Kelly Stafford will pay for a Los Angeles Rams photographer's medical bills after she fell during the team's championship parade and suffered a fractured spine.

Photographer Kelly Smiley was getting ready to snap a picture of the Rams' quarterback and his wife Wednesday when she slipped off the stage. A GoFundMe page was established on her behalf to help her with expenses.

"We have been in communication with Kelly Smiley since yesterday's incident, and we are sorry for what happened," the Rams and Staffords said in a joint statement Thursday obtained by Dennis Young of the New York Daily News. "As we told Kelly, we will be covering all her hospital bills and replacing her cameras. We wish her a speedy recovery."

Kelly Smiley, a photographer on the stage at the LA Rams Super Bowl celebration, takes a step back and plummets to the ground fracturing her spine. Quarterback Matthew Stafford sees it happen, turns his back, and walks away. pic.twitter.com/9K7IrGCHLa

- Mike Sington (@MikeSington) February 17, 2022

The Rams paraded through Los Angeles after defeating the Cincinnati Bengals in Super Bowl LVI to win their first NFL championship in 22 years.

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