Fan falls and dies at Rangers game

[lilbiggio]

Re: Fan falls and dies at Rangers game

That kinda does sound like a pretty dangerous area, i'm sure some sort of net or something will be placed there soon enough. With those steal beams and stuff behind the scoreboard that seems like an area that should be a little more secure with fans sitting right there.

I'm not blaming the Rangers Ballpark or anything for the death either, just stating that now in hindsight now that were aware the area is there it should be more protected.

Apparently there were nets there before but they were taken out because that started to encourage fans falling into the netting.


If that's the case the Rangers have a lawsuit on their hands. When the sting of this tragedy starts to heal, there WILL have to be changes. That much should be expected. Anything less iwould be negligent.

[Perfect Zero]

Re: Fan falls and dies at Rangers game

Apparently there were nets there before but they were taken out because that started to encourage fans falling into the netting.

If that's the case the Rangers have a lawsuit on their hands. When the sting of this tragedy starts to heal, there WILL have to be changes. That much should be expected. Anything less iwould be negligent.

Your ticket is a contract with the baseball club that removes them from a bunch of liability concerns. In a nation where people sue for just about everything; it's stupid for any team not to do that.

...And I think that Ryan and company have bigger safety issues to worry about on the grass lawn batter's eye in center field. Whenever there's a home run hit out there, any fan in the aisle sections on either side of it stampede onto the grass and barrel over each other for the ball. I don't think anyone is going to die out there, but I can see someone getting badly hurt if you run into the wrong guy who's desperate to get a ball. Plus, it's sloped grass. Imagine if it's a bit wet and you take a stumble. If anything, that should be blocked off from people to go on. It's kind of a cool thing to watch people do when a home run is hit, but if safety is their primary concern, I think they'll have to reconsider that center field area as well.

It seems that a lot of people are now trying to go out of their ways to find problems with the Ballpark. There have been no reported injuries on Greene's Hill this year, and many of the balls don't even go very far up it. Even so, most people are already waiting for the ball when it comes down, so there usually isn't any fights. It's been like that for fifteen plus years, and that isn't going to change. The area in left field was cordoned up last night, but I don't expect anything to change over there until the offseason hits. If you want to shut off Greene's Hill, you need to ban the kayakers out in the bay at San Francisco, or move people off the ledge in right field. You can't protect everybody from every single thing.

[Blzer]

Re: Fan falls and dies at Rangers game

It seems that a lot of people are now trying to go out of their ways to find problems with the Ballpark. There have been no reported injuries on Greene's Hill this year, and many of the balls don't even go very far up it. Even so, most people are already waiting for the ball when it comes down, so there usually isn't any fights. It's been like that for fifteen plus years, and that isn't going to change. The area in left field was cordoned up last night, but I don't expect anything to change over there until the offseason hits. If you want to shut off Greene's Hill, you need to ban the kayakers out in the bay at San Francisco, or move people off the ledge in right field. You can't protect everybody from every single thing.

Well, with your first sentence I'll say you're not talking about me. Again, I'm not someone who looks at things in hindsight and says, "Okay, maybe a change should be made." I'm one who would take one look at it the first time and go, "Why isn't something else put in place there?" From the very first time that I was a little kid and I saw someone run out there to get a ball on Sportscenter, I said, "Haha that guy is going to get kicked out of the park." I didn't know that it was actually allowed for people to go there and get a ball after a home run. Heck, I didn't even know that it was accessible.

Ever since then, I still ask myself the same thing: Why is it allowed? At AT&T Park, McCovey Cove is outside of the ballpark grounds. Even the seaport boardwalk is outside of the ballpark grounds (the area where you can look into the stadium in right field... that's a free viewing right there). The ledge in right field would be super duper tough to fall out of. I don't even thing it's possible to stick your glove beyond the green portion that overhangs the field, unless you literally dove out for it... in which case, you would fall haha. And the back railing that overlooks the cove is about breast-high. Anyone who falls off of that is ridiculously stupid.

I was just saying that, if the Rangers organization is indeed struggling very hard to ensure the safety of their fans, I'd think the bigger risk probability actually lies in center field, not left field. And again, I'm a proponent of not changing things as a result of an accident occurring (this stems back to the batting helmets on base coaches). I wasn't ever made aware of the unenclosed gap in left field, and if I took one look at it (like Greene's Hill), I would have made a forethought comment about its lack of safety measures.

For all intents and purposes, I blame the fan for what happened. I don't think the stadium should have to raise the railings, and that the MLB should have to institute a new way on how the players have to toss a ball into the stands. Furthermore, while Ryan and Hamilton might provide some empathy and assurance for the family, I'm hoping there isn't a lawsuit that will go down with this. I solely blame the fan for what happened.

[yankeesgiants]

Re: Fan falls and dies at Rangers game

For all intents and purposes, I blame the fan for what happened. I don't think the stadium should have to raise the railings, and that the MLB should have to institute a new way on how the players have to toss a ball into the stands. Furthermore, while Ryan and Hamilton might provide some empathy and assurance for the family, I'm hoping there isn't a lawsuit that will go down with this. I solely blame the fan for what happened.

Except the railings are the issue. When the lady fell out out of the upper deck in right field in 1994, they raised the railings from 26 inches which is within code to 46 inches in right field. When the guy fell out of the upper deck last year. That railing was 30 1/4 inches. They raised it to 42 inches. The guy who died the other day, that railing was a mere 33 inches. Railing height is the issue because they have addressed it not once but twice in the past. They got sued in 1994 for that as well so a wrongful death suit could happen in this case. For now have security there, then on the next road trip have those railings raised to 46 inches. When you go to the minimum of code which is 26 inches BTW, your asking for something bad to happen. Go above and beyond because accidents do happen.

[CMH]

Re: Fan falls and dies at Rangers game

If that's the case the Rangers have a lawsuit on their hands. When the sting of this tragedy starts to heal, there WILL have to be changes. That much should be expected. Anything less iwould be negligent.

I don't think the team has to be concerned about this.

They are starting a fund for the family and said they will open the fund with a substantial gift before giving fans the opportunity to contribute.

[12]

Re: Fan falls and dies at Rangers game

I haven't seen the video nor do I have any desire to ever see it.

This story rocked me pretty hard. I get choked up just thinking about it.

My prayers go out to the family. Also Josh Hamilton and the entire Rangers' organization.

As a dad who can't wait to take my toddler son to a game in the future, this really hits home.

It's beyond tragic.

[Perfect Zero]

Re: Fan falls and dies at Rangers game

Well, with your first sentence I'll say you're not talking about me. Again, I'm not someone who looks at things in hindsight and says, "Okay, maybe a change should be made." I'm one who would take one look at it the first time and go, "Why isn't something else put in place there?" From the very first time that I was a little kid and I saw someone run out there to get a ball on Sportscenter, I said, "Haha that guy is going to get kicked out of the park." I didn't know that it was actually allowed for people to go there and get a ball after a home run. Heck, I didn't even know that it was accessible.

I am talking about you, because you are the only person that seems to be worried about that particular area. People are allowed to catch or retrieve balls in that area because it was designed for that. The railings are lower so that people can be kept in their seats during normal play, but can get that home run ball when it's hit there. To this date, there have been no major injuries in this area, and no deaths of the sort. If you're going to complain about this, you might as well complain about every little fault at every single ballpark. In this case, you're complaining about something that is designed to work as it is.

Ever since then, I still ask myself the same thing: Why is it allowed? At AT&T Park, McCovey Cove is outside of the ballpark grounds. Even the seaport boardwalk is outside of the ballpark grounds (the area where you can look into the stadium in right field... that's a free viewing right there). The ledge in right field would be super duper tough to fall out of. I don't even thing it's possible to stick your glove beyond the green portion that overhangs the field, unless you literally dove out for it... in which case, you would fall haha. And the back railing that overlooks the cove is about breast-high. Anyone who falls off of that is ridiculously stupid.

The railings in left field go up to my waist, and I'm 6'1". Anybody who leans over too far over a cove, a field, concrete, or any of the sort is ridiculously stupid. However, you can't protect everybody. The majority of fans at ballgames have some sense of the center of gravity; a true minority don't.

I was just saying that, if the Rangers organization is indeed struggling very hard to ensure the safety of their fans, I'd think the bigger risk probability actually lies in center field, not left field. And again, I'm a proponent of not changing things as a result of an accident occurring (this stems back to the batting helmets on base coaches). I wasn't ever made aware of the unenclosed gap in left field, and if I took one look at it (like Greene's Hill), I would have made a forethought comment about its lack of safety measures.

There is little risk associated with Greene's Hill; about the same as it is in the Bay area outside of your Park. I've already discussed most of this in my first quote reply.

For all intents and purposes, I blame the fan for what happened. I don't think the stadium should have to raise the railings, and that the MLB should have to institute a new way on how the players have to toss a ball into the stands. Furthermore, while Ryan and Hamilton might provide some empathy and assurance for the family, I'm hoping there isn't a lawsuit that will go down with this. I solely blame the fan for what happened.

I blame the fan just as much as you do, and I don't think they should raise the railing. There should be something to help break any falls, but most of that work will take place in the off-season. As for any litigation; in the State of Texas at least, charitable acts are not admissions of guilt. Furthermore, the purchase of a ticket is a contract between the buyer and the baseball club that most liabilities do not fall in the hands of the club.

[Blzer]

Re: Fan falls and dies at Rangers game

I'm not so that I'm making my point clear, so I'll try again:

I think that every stadium is "safe enough," that no changes should be made that will lessen the entertainment value for the fans. Furthermore, I hate when changes are made as a result of something, as if they didn't realize something was unsafe before something unsafe happened as a result of it.

So when I said that Greene's Hill needs a heightened security measure, I didn't really mean that. What I said was (and I'll re-say it again right here): If Ryan and company feels that safety is their number one priority at the ballpark, then left field simply isn't their greatest concern. It's like if someone tells me that being healthy is their number one concern so they will start jogging more, and I tell them that there is a greater concern in reducing the amount of junk food they eat. Or it's like if the Giants say that they are one big bat away from World Series contention, and I could argue that the bats they have are fine, but they need their hitting coach to fix the flaws that the players have in their swings. I'm not telling them to do one or the other, I was simply pointing out that they have more things to be safe about, if they are truly concerned about it. I would prefer Greene's Hill stays open for people to run out there onto, but I can assure you that when someone breaks their leg because they get overturned by another guy getting a ball, Ryan will say something about closing that place up. They shouldn't have to wait for an event to happen, they should either keep it open or keep it closed.

Once again, nothing should be changed. I wouldn't mind there being a chain-link fence that fills in that gap because other stadiums seem to have it anyway, but I don't foresee another fan falling down there any time soon. It was a freak accident, they should let it go. But no, we now have helmets for base coaches because of the minor league foul ball incident, bat boys that have to be 18 years old because of Darren Baker, and zero plate collisions because of Scott Cousins and Buster Posey. We should foresee things as they are, and decide to take precautions against freak accidents, or let them go. Someday, a pitcher will suffer massive brain damage and slip into a coma or die, because of a comeback line drive that nails him right into the temple. When that happens, they will consider moving back the mounds, softening the baseballs, or applying face masks to pitchers. They won't consider it before someone loses their life to it, and to me that's just annoying. Either keep it as it is forever and always, or change it now. You already know the risks going into it.

[yankeesgiants]

Re: Fan falls and dies at Rangers game

Railings to raised to 42 inches throught the ballpark

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news;_ylt=ArhPv3Q0ygMe29RcaAsIv.URvLYF?slug=ap-rangers-saferballpark

[Blzer]

Re: Fan falls and dies at Rangers game

Sigh, I suppose this is a decent fix. I just hope the fans can still see the game. As long as they don't restrict the way players throw the balls into the stands.

Now I reiterate, if somebody falls again at this park, do nothing more. It is a freak accident probably destined for the person who thinks they need to do a little bit more to get a baseball.