© 2024 Ideastream Public Media

1375 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio 44115
(216) 916-6100 | (877) 399-3307

WKSU is a public media service licensed to Kent State University and operated by Ideastream Public Media.
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

1 person dead after falling from stands during Ohio State commencement

One person died after falling from the stands at the Ohio Stadium during Ohio State's commencement on May 5, 2024.
Mark Ferenchik
/
WOSU
One person died after falling from the stands at the Ohio Stadium during Ohio State's commencement on May 5, 2024.

One person is dead after falling from the stands at Ohio Stadium Sunday during Ohio State's commencement ceremony.

Ohio State spokesperson Ben Johnson issued a statement confirming the person's death.

A spokesperson with the Columbus Division of Fire confirmed the person who died was a female, but he did not know the victim's age.

The victim's name has not been released.

A call about the incident was received just before 12:30 p.m. About 55,000 people were at the stadium when the person fell.

Johnson said there were no additional details available regarding exactly how the person fell.

There were no other reported injuries.

Commencement went on as scheduled. About a dozen graduates and family members WOSU approached had heard about the incident but didn't want to talk about it. Some weren't aware of what happened.

Milan Radonjich of Akron just graduated with a degree in mechanical engineering. He had heard about what happened.

"Ultimately it's really sad," Radonjich, 22, said. "Any, like, loss of life obviously is a sad thing. It hurts to know that, you know, incidents like that happen in our community, especially on like such a happy day."

Johnson also said counseling and other support resources would be made available to anyone affected by the incident.