Rangers Fan Dies After Falling Over Railing.

General Intelligent Discussion & One Thread About That Buttknuckle

Moderator: Andrew

Rangers Fan Dies After Falling Over Railing.

Postby Rick » Fri Jul 08, 2011 2:24 pm

http://www.dallasnews.com/sports/texas- ... llpark.ece

Rangers fan dies after falling over fence at Rangers Ballpark

Man was reaching for ball tossed into stands by player.

By RICHARD ABSHIRE

Staff Writer

rabshire@dallasnews.com

Published 07 July 2011 08:26 PM


A fan reaching to catch a ball died after he fell over the left-field wall at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington during the second inning of Thursday night’s game.

The man, whose name hasn’t been released, had been reaching over the rail for a foul ball tossed into the stands by Rangers left fielder Josh Hamilton during the game against the Oakland A’s.

The man, who was sitting in the left-field lower-level reserved seats, fell about 20 feet in the area behind a wall supporting a video screen.

“We are deeply saddened to learn that the man who fell has passed away as a result of this tragic accident. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family,” said Nolan Ryan, Rangers CEO and president.

It is routine for players to throw balls that are out of play into the stands.

“As anyone would be, Josh is very distraught about this, as the whole team is.” Ryan said.

The man was treated by Rangers medical personnel before being taken to John Peter Smith Hospital in Fort Worth.

The Rangers’ TV broadcast did not show the incident, but the A’s broadcast did, returning to it during a break in the action on the field.

Ronnie Hargis was sitting next to the man, who was at the game with his young son. The men had been talking to each other before the accident.

“He went straight down. I tried to grab him, but I couldn’t. I tried to slow him down a little bit,” Hargis said.

Witnesses said the victim’s head was bleeding badly.

David Dodson was at the game with his daughter and saw the fall.

“Just as the ball hit his hand, it kind of threw him off balance and he just went head-first,” Dodson said. “It looked awful because you knew there was no way he was going to land on his feet. … The way he fell, it looked like it was just straight on his head.”

Rangers manager Ron Washington said several players saw the incident unfold. The Rangers played the rest of the game, winning 6-0, without knowing the spectator had died.

“We knew about it, but we didn’t know exactly what had happened,” he said.

On July 6, 2010, a fan plunged 30 feet from the upper deck at the stadium while trying to catch a foul ball during a game between the Rangers and the Cleveland Indians.

That man, 25-year-old Tyler Morris of Rio Vista, landed on several people below, suffering a fractured skull and a sprained ankle.

Ryan said after last year’s accident that he thought the stadium’s railing heights were adequate.

“The ballpark was built above specs, and we feel good about that,” Ryan said.

In 1994, 26-year-old Hollye Minter of Plano fell 35 feet from the upper deck during the home opener against the Milwaukee Brewers.

Minter suffered fractured vertebrae, broken ribs and teeth, and shoulder and leg injuries.

After that incident, the Rangers raised some of the stadium’s railings and added warning signs.
I like to sit out on the front porch, where the birds can see me, eating a plate of scrambled eggs, just so they know what I'm capable of.
User avatar
Rick
Super Audio CD
 
Posts: 16726
Joined: Sat Dec 23, 2006 9:29 am
Location: Texas

Postby conversationpc » Fri Jul 08, 2011 9:22 pm

Yikes...That almost makes me feel sick to my stomach.
My blog = Dave's Dominion
User avatar
conversationpc
Super Audio CD
 
Posts: 17830
Joined: Wed Jun 21, 2006 5:53 am
Location: Slightly south of sanity...

Postby AR » Fri Jul 08, 2011 11:46 pm

I just watched the video on youtube. Absolutely horrifying that it happened right in front of his little boy.
User avatar
AR
Digital Audio Tape
 
Posts: 8530
Joined: Sat Nov 26, 2005 10:21 am

Postby conversationpc » Sat Jul 09, 2011 12:37 am

Knowing how hard Josh Hamilton has worked to get his life together, this has to be hitting him really hard.
My blog = Dave's Dominion
User avatar
conversationpc
Super Audio CD
 
Posts: 17830
Joined: Wed Jun 21, 2006 5:53 am
Location: Slightly south of sanity...

Postby Rick » Sat Jul 09, 2011 12:47 am

A friend of mine who works at the ballpark said they took him to a level 1 trauma unit in Fort Worth (John Peter Smith Hospital), but couldn't get him there fast enough to relieve the brain hemorrhaging. :(
I like to sit out on the front porch, where the birds can see me, eating a plate of scrambled eggs, just so they know what I'm capable of.
User avatar
Rick
Super Audio CD
 
Posts: 16726
Joined: Sat Dec 23, 2006 9:29 am
Location: Texas

Postby AR » Sat Jul 09, 2011 12:49 am

It was just an accident. Already have read statements about whether MLB should allow players to throw baseballs in the stands anymore. This man was a firefighter and I'm sure has taken more risks than just leaning over to grab a thrown ball. Things just happen sometimes.

A few years ago a little boy died at the field before one of my over 30 league baseball games. His dad was playing catch with a teammate, and his son liked to back him up. Well the boy wasn't paying atttention and an errant throw went over his dad's head and hit the boy in his chest. It was lobbed, not thrown hard at all, but it hit his chest in the exact wrong spot during a certain cycle of his heartbeat and killed him. Terrible tragedy, and the worst thing I have ever been around or witnessed.

Afterwards there were people calling on us to disband the league or not allow children at the field. The father of the boy came right out and said it was a purely fluke thing and that we all take certain risks walking out the front door just to live our lives.

Bad things happen, no matter how many precautions we want to take.
User avatar
AR
Digital Audio Tape
 
Posts: 8530
Joined: Sat Nov 26, 2005 10:21 am

Postby Rick » Sat Jul 09, 2011 12:57 am

AR wrote:It was just an accident. Already have read statements about whether MLB should allow players to throw baseballs in the stands anymore. This man was a firefighter and I'm sure has taken more risks than just leaning over to grab a thrown ball. Things just happen sometimes.

A few years ago a little boy died at the field before one of my over 30 league baseball games. His dad was playing catch with a teammate, and his son liked to back him up. Well the boy wasn't paying atttention and an errant throw went over his dad's head and hit the boy in his chest. It was lobbed, not thrown hard at all, but it hit his chest in the exact wrong spot during a certain cycle of his heartbeat and killed him. Terrible tragedy, and the worst thing I have ever been around or witnessed.

Afterwards there were people calling on us to disband the league or not allow children at the field. The father of the boy came right out and said it was a purely fluke thing and that we all take certain risks walking out the front door just to live our lives.

Bad things happen, no matter how many precautions we want to take.


I agree. You're never going to prevent every accident. This is just one of those things. Foul balls and lost bats during a swing are much more common and can be far more dangerous than trying to catch a ball from a toss. He just lost his balance and grip. More people die on the way to and from a ballgame than what happened here.
I like to sit out on the front porch, where the birds can see me, eating a plate of scrambled eggs, just so they know what I'm capable of.
User avatar
Rick
Super Audio CD
 
Posts: 16726
Joined: Sat Dec 23, 2006 9:29 am
Location: Texas

Postby Arkansas » Sat Jul 09, 2011 1:02 am

I bet they at least end-up putting some sort of netting between the rail & video board.
Won't stop accidents everywhere, but it'll help right there.


later~
Arkansas
Stereo LP
 
Posts: 2565
Joined: Wed Jun 14, 2006 2:23 am
Location: duh?

Postby YoungJRNY » Sat Jul 09, 2011 4:00 am

AR wrote:I just watched the video on youtube. Absolutely horrifying that it happened right in front of his little boy.


Same here. Very disturbing. I won't be watching it ever again. His little boy witnessed it all. No words to explain how sad this story is.
User avatar
YoungJRNY
Compact Disc
 
Posts: 7000
Joined: Thu Feb 21, 2008 5:54 am
Location: Krypton

Postby bluejeangirl76 » Sat Jul 09, 2011 6:01 am

YoungJRNY wrote:
AR wrote:I just watched the video on youtube. Absolutely horrifying that it happened right in front of his little boy.


Same here. Very disturbing. I won't be watching it ever again. His little boy witnessed it all. No words to explain how sad this story is.


Tragic indeed, but for whatever it might be worth, which probably isn't much given the result, at least the boy didn't actually see him die - the man (or so it's reported) was still conscious and speaking when they took him out on the stretcher. Doesn't make it all that much better though. :(
User avatar
bluejeangirl76
MP3
 
Posts: 13346
Joined: Fri Oct 13, 2006 5:36 am


Return to Snowmobiles For The Sahara

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: Google [Bot] and 5 guests