Man dies at ball game trying to catch the ball

[Ron_Tomkins]

Terrible situation. The kind of situation that makes me feel bad when, after slamming the door on my finger, I claim "his is the kind of silly thing that only happens to me!!", as if I had the slightest notion of what real tragedy is:

A man attending a Texas Rangers game with his young son died after falling out of the left-field stands and about 20 feet to the ground Thursday night.
He was trying to catch a ball flipped into the stands by Rangers outfielder Josh Hamilton(notes) but apparently lost his balance and fell head-first in a space between the 14-foot outfield fence and the grandstand near the Oakland Athletics bullpen.

However, nowhere around the article do they mention something about taking some kind of precautions to avoid this from happening. I know it's very hard to control every detail in such an event, but perhaps make an announcement prior to the game that people near a ledge should never try to catch the ball or something?

 

[WildCat]

However, nowhere around the article do they mention something about taking some kind of precautions to avoid this from happening. I know it's very hard to control every detail in such an event, but perhaps make an announcement prior to the game that people near a ledge should never try to catch the ball or something?

What good will such an announcement do? If you don't have the sense or are too drunk not to fall off the ledge an anouncement will do no good.

And the guy who was killed was a firefighter, someone who presumably knows all about the dangers of falling from high places.

 

[Ron_Tomkins]

What good will such an announcement do? If you don't have the sense or are too drunk not to fall off the ledge an anouncement will do no good.

There will always be people who either don't listen or don't pay attention or are too drunk to care. But a warning always helps at least diminishing the possibility of future accidents.

And the guy who was killed was a firefighter, someone who presumably knows all about the dangers of falling from high places.

What?? I did not know that! Now that's weird!

 

[WildCat]

What?? I did not know that! Now that's weird!

Yep:

The fan who fell from the stands and later died after snagging a foul ball tossed in his direction by All-Star Rangers outfielder Josh Hamilton has been identified as a Brownwood firefighter.

The Tarrant County Medical Examiner's Office said Friday the victim was Shannon Stone, 39, of Brownwood.

Brownwood City Manager Bobby Rountree said Stone had been a firefighter for nearly 18 years in Brownwood, 150 miles southwest of Arlington.

http://www.kwtx.com/home/headlines/...ers_Game_Was_Texas_Firefighter_125212309.html

 

[triforcharity]

I saw it live. It is a very sad day for baseball. Not just the team, and Josh Hamiliton, but baseball fans everywhere.

(The Rangers are not going to say ANYTHING yet, because I am sure that legal reprsentation will need to be consulted. They should put a bigger railing, or something. A net. Anything. Hell, a huge pad. )

I feel terrible for the kid. 6 years old, watched his father plunge to his death. I wouldn't blame him if he never watches another second of baseball.....

 

[Alt+F4]

(The Rangers are not going to say ANYTHING yet, because I am sure that legal reprsentation will need to be consulted. They should put a bigger railing, or something. A net. Anything. Hell, a huge pad.)

Very sad indeed. I agree with your idea about the railing. How about a much taller railing in the parts of the stadium where fans are most likely to catch a ball?

EDIT: Just watched the disturbing video of the fall. The railing was barely up to the man's waist.

 

[triforcharity]

Very sad indeed. I agree with your idea about the railing. How about a much taller railing in the parts of the stadium where fans are most likely to catch a ball?

I like the idea, but half the fun of going to a game, is catching foul balls. Plus, a larger railing might obstruct the views of the fans.
Just put a safety net there to stop people from falling 14 feet.

 

[TheNooch]

Just watched the disturbing video of the fall. The railing was barely up to the man's waist.

Perhaps they should install roller coaster seats that trap people in for the game so they can't fall.

20 feet sure wasn't a very high fall....maybe they should just instruct fans NOT to land on their heads. I had a GF once that tried to commit suicide at the Galleria by jumping from the second floor, she landed on her legs, and barely got a sprained ankle.

The fall doesn't kill ya, it's the landing.

ETA: is there a link to the video

 

[triforcharity]

Any height larger than youself is a dangerous height to fall from. Landing on your head can be fatal.

(Yes, there is video out there, but I am not going to link to it. Sorry, personal preference.)

 

[Skeptical Greg]

.............

I feel terrible for the kid. 6 years old, watched his father plunge to his death. I wouldn't blame him if he never watches another second of baseball.....

I certainly feel terrible for the kid, but the man left the stadium alive, and talking.. He died from cardiac arrest on the way to the hospital, so it looks like he had a heart condition that did not handle the stress of the event ..

 

[TheNooch]

(Yes, there is video out there, but I am not going to link to it. Sorry, personal preference.)

Okey Dokey...

eta: ok here it is, it's not bad, no blood and you don't see him hit the ground, ABC News



He doesn't look like a drinker, and it seems odd to me that he fell. It's amazing that millions of fans every year can survive such an obvious danger.

I like the way the female news lady says, "Oh that's horrific, that's awful", as they show it for the second time in slo-mo.

 

[angrysoba]

A man attending a Texas Rangers game with his young son died after falling out of the left-field stands and about 20 feet to the ground Thursday night.

That's a horrible story. What a poor kid who witnessed it.

 

[Locknar]

However, nowhere around the article do they mention something about taking some kind of precautions to avoid this from happening. I know it's very hard to control every detail in such an event, but perhaps make an announcement prior to the game that people near a ledge should never try to catch the ball or something?

The ESPN story mentions that the railing was raised from 30.5" to 46" in 1994 (after a fan fell over, survived with some broken bones).

It is a horrible accident, though I'm surprised it does not happen more given that height (~30" - 46") seems the standard (at least, for the venues I've been to).

 

[WildCat]

Okey Dokey...

eta: ok here it is, it's not bad, no blood and you don't see him hit the ground, ABC News



He doesn't look like a drinker, and it seems odd to me that he fell. It's amazing that millions of fans every year can survive such an obvious danger.

eta: kudos to the camera man for holding the shot

Lesson: don't lean over to try to catch a ball clearly heading for someone else 2 seats away.

 

[TheNooch]

Lesson: don't lean over to try to catch a ball clearly heading for someone else 2 seats away.

After I've watched it a few more times, I concur. He was trying to impress his kid. The guy that he was "stealing" the catch from is dressed just like the faller, I wonder if they were together?

His biggest flaw seems to be the way he launched himself head first towards the ground.. After that, gravity took over, and it was just a short time before Darwin's phone began ringing.

Perhaps they should show this video clip at the beginning of EVERY game, and at the seventh inning stretch as well, just to keep people aware of the danger of falling head first into a hard surface.

 

[TheNooch]

Ok, here's a better video with interview of the guy who he was trying to steal the catch from. Much longer and way better.

I'm starting to think maybe, just maybe, Goerge W. Bush might have something to do with all these fallers. He used to own the Rangers, he was at this game, and the one almost exactly a year ago in the same stadium.



I can see his fatal flaw better now. If you notice how close the wall is, and the way he reached out to grab it, but wouldn't release the ball to grab the wall. That alone could have altered his face first trajectory into the dirt.

ETA: he didn't die from the fall, it was a heart attack in the ambulance

Witnesses say the man was conscious after the fall, but fire department officials say he went into full cardiac arrest while on the way to the hospital.

 

[angrysoba]

Perhaps they should show this video clip at the beginning of EVERY game, and at the seventh inning stretch as well, just to keep people aware of the danger of falling head first into a hard surface.

Yeah, they could do that with some jaunty trombone clown music to accompany it. Or they could simply raise the railings a bit higher.

 

[Tony]

This is tragic. I feel very sorry for the kid. Hearing the report on the radio this morning, I had assumed the guy had reached too far over the railing and lost his balance. Seeing the video, it looks like he had too much forward momentum going after catching the ball and the railing was insufficiency high to prevent his upper body from pivoting over it.

 

[TheNooch]

Yeah, they could do that with some jaunty trombone clown music to accompany it. Or they could simply raise the railings a bit higher.

How high would you suggest? 6ft? 8ft? Should they add razor wire on the top to keep fans from climbing over? I was more concerned with the distance between the existing rails that an un-attended toddler/small kid could climb through.

Get real. Life has hazards, and some folk gotta show the rest of us what NOT to do once in a while.

p.s. the jaunty clown music might be too much

 

[angrysoba]

p.s. the jaunty clown music might be too much

Killjoy!