Tarp accident injures Nelson, too

CEDAR RAPIDS - Monday afternoon's tarp accident at Veterans Memorial Stadium officially has claimed the general manager and assistant general manager of the Cedar Rapids Kernels as victims.

GM Doug Nelson said Tuesday afternoon he has been diagnosed with a broken collarbone. Winds of 80 miles per hour as part of a severe thunderstorm blew the tarp into the air and on top of people attempting to pull it from left-center field onto the infield during Monday's game against Clinton.

Assistant GM Scott Wilson suffered a disclocated shoulder and three others received concussions in the scary incident, which was videotaped by The Gazette and shown nationally on The Weather Channel, CNN and ABC's 'Good Morning America.”

'I'll be sporting a sling for the next four to six weeks,” Nelson said in an e-mail. 'The good news is that I'm on the tarp duty DL for the rest of the season.”

The Kernels are playing a three-game series at Wisconsin, then return home for a Fourth of July game against the Beloit Snappers. Monday's game was suspended and will be completed during Cedar Rapids' trip to Clinton next week.