Fan falls from 2nd deck at Rangers game

[MJ4H]

Did anyone catch this? Apparently a fan tried to catch a foul ball and fell from the 2nd deck onto other fans in the lower deck.

Some sites are saying there is video but they are refusing to show it. Was anyone watching when this happened?

[JonInMiddleGA]

Espn.com story comments includes this bit fwiw ... they just annouced he's stable and responsive. moving all extremities. the four fans he fell on are being treated at the ballpark.

[MJ4H]

I tried really hard to resist posting that the consecutive thread titles phenomenon had The Deadliest Catch thread right underneath this one when I posted it.

:/

Sorry.

[MJ4H]

Audio

Tindeck MP3 Hosting: fan falls in Texas.mp3 (http://tindeck.com/listen/scyo)

[MJ4H]

Doesn't show the actual fall, but wow at the reactions.
<object height="385" width="480">


<embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Vf3Z0gwo73I&hl=en_US&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="385" width="480"></object>

[RGunner]

Was watching the game live as this happened. Normally FSN which shows pretty much every game shows where every foul ball goes, this one they didn't show, which leads me to believe they have the tape and on a tape delay didnt show it thank god. There is a youtube video of the tv feed. Cruz fouls the ball off, there is a delay, and then you hear screams and the umpire and Nelson Cruz turn away like something bad had happened. Turns out the guy leaned over for the ball, lost his balance, fell over and from what I've heard on the broadcast grasped onto the level below rails, and then fell the 20 feet further onto a few fans that likely saved his life. The fans suffered minor injuries so hopefully they are ok as well. Just an odd feeling all around on the broadcast all over. They showed a fan in the deck below the one he fell from (not the bottom bowl but the suite level) and she was in complete tears and it looked to be right where the guy fell, so if the word that was told on the broadcast was true it might have been right where she was and thats where he tried to grab. Hard to imagine that ever happening, even though you would think it could happen alot. Also, on a live chat during the game, a beat writer for the Dallas Morning News said that they showed it on the pressbox tv's which is how he saw it, so hopefully that never gets out.

[Maple Leafs]

Did anyone catch this?
Apparently not.

[DeToxRox]

Apparently he is okay.

Ump and Cruz reaction tell it all:

http://img249.imageshack.us/img249/9238/1278468122026.png

[DeToxRox]

Apparently not.

Winner.

[molson]

I remember this happening a few times before in the last 10-20 years, though not with this much video of the aftermath. (and certainly, before youtube).

Hopefully they don't put up plexiglass in front of all these upper deck sections.

[stevew]

This is why healthcare is so fucked up. They'll spend 50 grand fixing this guy up instead of giving him a 4 dollar baseball.

[Butter]

Also, on a live chat during the game, a beat writer for the Dallas Morning News said that they showed it on the pressbox tv's which is how he saw it, so hopefully that never gets out.

Why? It's not like he's dead.

[flere-imsaho]

wow at the reactions

:+1:

[Sun Tzu]

Well...if the guy was from Texas, my guess is he was pretty fat. For those who have seen it, am I right?

[Greyroofoo]

Doesn't show the actual fall, but wow at the reactions.
<object height="385" width="480">


<embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Vf3Z0gwo73I&hl=en_US&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="385" width="480"></object>

blocked

[lordscarlet]

blocked

apparently youtube is blocked for you.

[Sun Tzu]

blocked for me too...

"This video contains content from MLB Advanced Media, who has blocked it on copyright grounds"

[k0ruptr]

MLB advanced media are copyright cunts.

[Sun Tzu]

MLB advanced media are copyright cunts.

MLB Media just in general are cunts. Fucking ass-backwards blackout restrictions.

[k0ruptr]

word.

[DeToxRox]

It fucking happened again. A year to the day (I believe, basing it on the creation of this thread)

The Texas Rangers say a fan died after falling out of the stands while trying to catch a baseball tossed his way during the game.

Rangers president Nolan Ryan said after Thursday night's game that the team was "deeply saddened" to learn that the man "has passed away as a result of this tragic accident."

The Rangers did not identify the man; they said he fell about 20 feet.

The fan fell head-first and landed behind a 14-foot-high wall supporting a video board that shows replays and scores from other games.

The accident happened in the second inning after Oakland's Conor Jackson hit a foul ball that ricocheted into left field. Rangers outfielder Josh Hamilton retrieved the ball and tossed it into the stands.

Replays on Oakland's television broadcast show the man reaching for the ball and apparently catching it before tumbling.

[BYU 14]

The man was there with his son too. Terribly sad how something that should be a precious memory ends in tragedy.

[johnnyshaka]

<iframe width="560" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/W0nA-X-5MKA" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

[DaddyTorgo]

Not to be a dick, but really? People are that crazy over a $4 baseball that they lose track of their surroundings and do something that might increase their chance of injury by even a fraction of a percent??

Why??? I don't get it.

But then again I'm very risk-averse. Moreso than usual.

[johnnyshaka]

Seat belts will be standard in stadiums across the world in 10 years...mark my words.

[PilotMan]

Players will no longer be able to interact with fans during the game and ushers will sit in the first row and make sure nobody gets out of their seat unless they are going to take a whiz.

[RedKingGold]

Admittedly litigious mind here, but that railing seems very, very low and screams for someone to simply lose their balance like that.

[Ryan S]

Admittedly litigious mind here, but that railing seems very, very low and screams for someone to simply lose their balance like that.

The railings are fine as long as someone does not lean well over them. I doubt it is possible to create railings high enough to stop people doing stupid things, and if you can build them high enough, fans won't be able to see much of the field.

[rowech]

The railings are fine as long as someone does not lean well over them. I doubt it is possible to create railings high enough to stop people doing stupid things, and if you can build them high enough, fans won't be able to see much of the field.

I've always felt railings should be just above waist level for the average person. Those railings seem fairly short to me.

[Ksyrup]

One of my greatest fears in life is dying doing something ordinary/trivial or momentarily stupid.

[rowech]

Can't imagine the son and what it will be like for him and can't imagine Hamilton's feelings toward it. Always thinking if he had just put a little more on it.

[Swaggs]

Really sad.

Apparently, the guy was talking on the stretcher and trying to make sure that his son didn't get left/lost at the game. :(

[Autumn]

That's horrible. Calling the "how often do you think about death" thread.

[SteveMax58]

Wow...how terrible for this guy's son. :(

[GrantDawg]

Can't imagine the son and what it will be like for him and can't imagine Hamilton's feelings toward it. Always thinking if he had just put a little more on it.


This. And the poor bullpen guy (coach? player?) was most likely the first guy there. I just feel for them as well. It wasn't Hamilton's fault, but you know anyone would feel partial responsible after that. Sad.

[spleen1015]

very sad

[A-Husker-4-Life]

Extremely sad, I feel for the son. This was a horrible accident. RIP

[GrantDawg]

Oh, man. The guy was a firefighter, too. My dad was a firefighter, and they all have a soft place in my heart as real heroes. Heartbreaking.

[GrantDawg]

Good Lord! I also didn't know Hamilton is a recovering crack addict. Could this story get more tragic?

[Ksyrup]

I take it you don't follow baseball?

[MrBug708]

Good Lord! I also didn't know Hamilton is a recovering crack addict. Could this story get more tragic?

He played for the Reds?

[SackAttack]

Good Lord! I also didn't know Hamilton is a recovering crack addict. Could this story get more tragic?

Did you not watch the playoffs last year? That was practically all they could talk about whenever Hamilton came to bat in the ALCS/World Series.

[Ksyrup]

Forget that - the HR derby from a few years ago when he went nuts was when the story went from baseball to sports to Good Morning America.

[MizzouRah]

Very sad.. :(

[GrantDawg]

Did you not watch the playoffs last year? That was practically all they could talk about whenever Hamilton came to bat in the ALCS/World Series.


I take it you don't follow baseball?

I follow a team, not the league as a whole. I am keeping up more this year than I probably have in over 12 years, and still not even close to what I did 20 years ago. The 1994 strike nearly did me in, then the steroids era really killed my interest.

And as for the playoffs last year, I watched some of the games in the background with the sound off. So, no. I really didn't know that.

[Suicane75]

He played for the Reds?

With the first pick in the FOFC Posts Draft, I pick...........

[Ksyrup]

As if it could get any worse...

The mother of the man who died after falling over an outfield railing at a Texas Rangers game says he had gone to the ballpark with his 6-year-old son in hopes of catching a ball.

Suzann Stone told The Associated Press on Friday that Shannon Stone and young Cooper Stone had even stopped on the way to Arlington, Texas, on Thursday to buy the boy a new glove.

Reigning AL MVP Josh Hamilton, Cooper's favorite player, grabbed a foul ball that ricocheted into left field and tossed it into the stands.

Shannon Stone caught the ball but tumbled over the railing and plunged 20 feet onto concrete. The 39-year-old firefighter from Brownwood died at a hospital Thursday night.

[MrBug708]

With the first pick in the FOFC Posts Draft, I pick...........

That's like taking Kwame Brown #1 overall

[MrBug708]

It's sad that lawyers will likely get involved, it's almost like there can't ever been an accident, there has to be a reason for it

[gstelmack]

It's sad that lawyers will likely get involved, it's almost like there can't ever been an accident, there has to be a reason for it

The one issue I could see here is the tight space between the railing and the scoreboard (?). Seems weird to have that narrow opening with lots of stuff for someone to bang off when they fall, especially when putting a small cover / roof over that opening wouldn't have been that hard. The question is, if he falls farther off to the side without that scoreboard in his way, does he manage to flip over to land feet first?

Otherwise I will agree that the railing seems low along there, but not sure that's enough for a lawsuit. If it's higher, folks will just stand ON it to try and catch one.

[Rizon]

The one issue I could see here is the tight space between the railing and the scoreboard (?). Seems weird to have that narrow opening with lots of stuff for someone to bang off when they fall, especially when putting a small cover / roof over that opening wouldn't have been that hard. The question is, if he falls farther off to the side without that scoreboard in his way, does he manage to flip over to land feet first?

Otherwise I will agree that the railing seems low along there, but not sure that's enough for a lawsuit. If it's higher, folks will just stand ON it to try and catch one.

Yeah, I was expecting to see the guy fall from a second deck or something, but looks like the bleachers in the outfield? And the railing looks really short.

[Fidatelo]

Every time I think about this it makes me feel ill. What a horrible random thing. I need to hug my kids extra hard when I get home.

[cartman]

Rangers Fan Dies - Josh Hamilton and the Rangers Fan - Esquire (http://www.esquire.com/the-side/feature/rangers-fan-dies-6060909)

[JonInMiddleGA]

Okay, is it just me or does this sort of thing happen considerably more often now than it did, say, 20-30 years ago?

Yeah, I know the more media/more coverage effect can warp perception but it really seems like this happens several times a year now instead of once in a very blue moon like my recollection of it from decades past.

[DanGarion]

Okay, is it just me or does this sort of thing happen considerably more often now than it did, say, 20-30 years ago?

Yeah, I know the more media/more coverage effect can warp perception but it really seems like this happens several times a year now instead of once in a very blue moon like my recollection of it from decades past.
I wonder if the amount of alcohol consumed at games has increased as well.

[JonInMiddleGA]

I wonder if the amount of alcohol consumed at games has increased as well.

I dunno, my grandfather's stories about games in the late 60's give me the impression there was plenty of consumption back then too. I was thinking that either something about stadium design has changed or perhaps people's common sense about danger may be diminished somehow or something along those lines.

[DanGarion]

I dunno, my grandfather's stories about games in the late 60's give me the impression there was plenty of consumption back then too. I was thinking that either something about stadium design has changed or perhaps people's common sense about danger may be diminished somehow or something along those lines.

I was always amazed at the steepness and low rails at Dodger Stadium on the upper deck. I think it might be the last point you mention.

[RainMaker]

I dunno, my grandfather's stories about games in the late 60's give me the impression there was plenty of consumption back then too. I was thinking that either something about stadium design has changed or perhaps people's common sense about danger may be diminished somehow or something along those lines.
Over my lifetime, I've seen this weird shift where people are willing to give up life and limb for a freebie. Going to about 30+ Bulls games a season, it never ceases to amaze me how much people will sacrifice themselves for a crappy t-shirt being shot out of a cannon. I've seen guys jump over people, reach over railings, and elbow people. People have always wanted to get the ball at a game, but now it feels like people are going out of their way to do it.

This story is incredibly sad and I feel bad for Josh Hamilton too. He's got to live with that thought that if he had thrown the ball a little bit more the guy would be alive. Not his fault in any way, but I'd imagine he'd have some guilt.

[Fidatelo]

I wonder if the increasing amount of safety gear and other protective devices we use is making people less cognizant of danger? If a kid falls off a playground structure into soft cushy gravel or super-spongy rubber and performs almost every physical activity wearing helmets, padding, life jackets, or whatnot, maybe in time he becomes unconsciously less fearful of leaning over a railing?

[Pumpy Tudors]

I wonder if the increasing amount of safety gear and other protective devices we use is making people less cognizant of danger? If a kid falls off a playground structure into soft cushy gravel or super-spongy rubber and performs almost every physical activity wearing helmets, padding, life jackets, or whatnot, maybe in time he becomes unconsciously less fearful of leaning over a railing?
I'm far from an expert, but I think this is it.

[Dutch]

I'm far from an expert, but I think this is it.

I actually buy this too.

[Glengoyne]

Along with the other non-experts out there... I have a couple of cents of my own.

Does new ball park construction play a role here? With the "close in" feel of the new/old style parks, you just don't seem as high up as you used to be in the God forsaken parks built in the 70s.

[Rizon]

Along with the other non-experts out there... I have a couple of cents of my own.

Does new ball park construction play a role here? With the "close in" feel of the new/old style parks, you just don't seem as high up as you used to be in the God forsaken parks built in the 70s.

I think this, too.

[Lathum]

My son is still very young, but one of the things I am very much looking forward to is taking him to ballgames and sharing those memories only a father and son can share. This incident really makes me bitterly sad for the boy and his whole family.

[Flasch186]

The upper deck of any stadium, that Ive been in always seems way too steep and I always look at the wall railing at the bottom of the stairs and think, "Thats whats between you and death, should you fall."

[BYU 14]

So true Lathum and the thing that really hits you in the gut is that he is there having a good time with his son. He is overjoyed that Hamilton hears him and tosses the ball up which he will catch and give to his young son, making it an even more memorable evening.

Then at the moment he caught the ball his last HOUR alive began and a family is now devastated. I have thought about this a lot today, makes it all too emphatic how tomorrow is never promised.

[Fidatelo]

Ya, almost any time I've heard of a fan falling in a stadium it comes out that they were hammered out of their gourd or otherwise being ridiculous, and it makes it feel a lot more, I don't know, explainable. This seems entirely too innocent to have turned out the way it did. Awful.

[Ksyrup]

Yeah, I was expecting to see the guy fall from a second deck or something, but looks like the bleachers in the outfield? And the railing looks really short.

From what I read, it exceeds federal guidelines by 4".

[molson]

I've always felt railings should be just above waist level for the average person. Those railings seem fairly short to me.

Ya, I do think the short railings are actuality more dangerous than no railing at all because they give you something to trip over and flip over. There's just something unnatural about a thigh-high railing.

[thealmighty]

The one issue I could see here is the tight space between the railing and the scoreboard (?). Seems weird to have that narrow opening with lots of stuff for someone to bang off when they fall, especially when putting a small cover / roof over that opening wouldn't have been that hard. The question is, if he falls farther off to the side without that scoreboard in his way, does he manage to flip over to land feet first?

Otherwise I will agree that the railing seems low along there, but not sure that's enough for a lawsuit. If it's higher, folks will just stand ON it to try and catch one.


There used to be a "roof" where the man fell. Unfortunately, every homerun ball hit, idiots would jump over the railing onto the "roof" to get the ball. That's why there was nothing to break his fall.

Also, the opening is alot wider than it looks on tv, maybe 4 feet across from local news shots I saw with a tarp they put across it tonight.

[Galaxy]

Apparently not.

I'm sorry, but this was hilarious!


(Posted it before the tragic ending of the story.)

[rowech]

Almost happened at the homerun derby last night...about the 2:40 mark. This guy was just dumb standing on tables for crying out loud.

Baseball Video Highlights & Clips | 2011 HRD: Fielder puts up nine homers in the Derby - Video | MLB.com: Multimedia (http://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=16859431)

[Logan]

Almost happened at the homerun derby last night...about the 2:40 mark. This guy was just dumb standing on tables for crying out loud.

Baseball Video Highlights & Clips | 2011 HRD: Fielder puts up nine homers in the Derby - Video | MLB.com: Multimedia (http://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=16859431)

That was nuts. Good job by the guys grabbing his legs.

[fantom1979]

http://l.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/HT17knj1uW0SFhb2zbRkaw--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9aW5zZXQ7aD00MTk7cT04NTt3PTYzMA--/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/ap_webfeeds/3b1452e888a0b40ff20e6a706700e74d.jpg

http://l.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/C5n4uX3fmL58f7TDXsCEyw--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9aW5zZXQ7aD00Njg7cT04NTt3PTYzMA--/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/ap_webfeeds/5df5f2f188a5b40ff20e6a706700cb19.jpg

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6126/5930101452_177038669f_b.jpg


This guy is an idiot

[molson]

Someday at one of these home run derbys we're going to have about 14 casualties. It will be one of the more deadly days in our nation's history.

[cougarfreak]

And I wonder why kids at my school act like morons sometime. Take a look at our society's adults.........

[stevew]

I'd stay home and watch it on TV before I'd sit in the upper deck and watch a game. Granted 18 straight losing seasons has probably deflated the prices I'm used to paying.

[M GO BLUE!!!]

The guys do kinda look like a family where everybody is nicknamed "Bubba"

[MacroGuru]

Ugh, and the donkey had already caught a few of the homerun balls

2011 Home Run Derby -- Fan nearly falls from stands - ESPN (http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/allstar11/news/story?id=6759862)

[Ksyrup]

http://nbchardballtalk.files.wordpress.com/2011/07/keith-carmickle-2.jpg?w=610&h=405

[JediKooter]

Was watching CNN this morning and the lady said that he was lucky his friends caught him. Umm, it was extremely obvious from the video that he was intentionally being held up by his friends.

[Rizon]

From what I read, it exceeds federal guidelines by 4".

Ah, now it makes sense why the railing seemed too low.

[stevew]

Ugh, and the donkey had already caught a few of the homerun balls

2011 Home Run Derby -- Fan nearly falls from stands - ESPN (http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/allstar11/news/story?id=6759862)

Security should have tossed him and his friends...unreal

[molson]

I'd stay home and watch it on TV before I'd sit in the upper deck and watch a game. Granted 18 straight losing seasons has probably deflated the prices I'm used to paying.

So you're not willing to pay for the chance to die on tv and be lauded as a hero for thinking of your son in your final moments (instead of thinking of him a little earlier which would have been more useful?)

[Pumpy Tudors]

No comment about the guy at the Rangers game. This post is driven by the idiot at the home run derby.

I'm actually starting to like baseball more than I like arena football. At baseball games, idiots trying to catch a ball are most likely going to hurt themselves when something goes wrong. I learned the other night that idiots at arena football games are far more likely to hurt someone else. My wife and I are still a little banged up after our ordeal on Sunday.

So, uh, let's hear it for baseball!!!

[stevew]

So you're not willing to pay for the chance to die on tv and be lauded as a hero for thinking of your son in your final moments (instead of thinking of him a little earlier which would have been more useful?)

Depends if I'm getting the flag flown at half staff. I might leave the house for that.

[RedKingGold]

Admittedly litigious mind here, but that railing seems very, very low and screams for someone to simply lose their balance like that.

I've always felt railings should be just above waist level for the average person. Those railings seem fairly short to me.

Yup.


ARLINGTON, Texas -- The Rangers (http://espn.go.com/mlb/team/_/name/tex/texas-rangers) will raise the height of the front row rails at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington to 42 inches, an increase of as much as 12 inches in certain areas of the park, as part of new safety initiatives at the facility following the death of fan Shannon Stone.

Stone, a 39-year-old firefighter from Brownwood, fell over the railing in left-center as he attempted to catch a ball thrown by outfielder Josh Hamilton (http://espn.go.com/mlb/player/_/id/4652/josh-hamilton). The drop was about 20 feet and Stone died from injuries sustained in the fall.

The rails located at the bottom of the aisles in much of the park are already at 42 inches. But the rails in front of some seats in the park drop to 34 or 30 inches so fans' views are not obstructed. Now, all of those rails will go to 42 inches. The rail that Stone fell over was 34 inches.

Texas Rangers announce safety initiatives for Ballpark in Arlington - ESPN Dallas (http://espn.go.com/dallas/mlb/story/_/id/6783926/texas-rangers-announce-safety-initiatives-ballpark-arlington)