04/23/24
July 07, 2010
Fan Falls 30 Feet from Second Deck at Rangers Ballpark: During the Texas Rangers-Cleveland Indians game Tuesday night, a fan fell 30 feet from the second deck during a scramble for a foul ball. An announcer, thousands of fans and players all saw the accident -- several Indians could be seen praying on the field as the man and the people he landed on were being helped. The injured man has been identified as Tyler Morris, a Corinth, Texas, firefighter.
Did he land on the pitch? Did he get tazed?
posted by JJ at 12:40 PM on July 07, 2010
This is something I have personally feared for years.
*shivers*
posted by BoKnows at 01:19 PM on July 07, 2010
You and me both, Bo.
posted by tommybiden at 01:45 PM on July 07, 2010
Video's been pulled.
posted by wfrazerjr at 03:37 PM on July 07, 2010
I have always been a little squeamish when sitting in any of the upper decks at Ranger ballpark, even if I just have to pass near the front to move up to my seats. Once saw a fan in the outfield fall between the outfield fence and the stands to a concrete walkway below while trying to catch a ball, but don't remember if it was the old park or the new one. Surprised it does not happen more often at ballparks, but maybe it does and I just have not noticed because not so close to home.
posted by graymatters at 03:45 PM on July 07, 2010
I believe that a woman fell shortly after the ballpark opened. She'd had a few too many and was sitting on the rail.
posted by mjsals at 04:39 PM on July 07, 2010
another link to video
http://texas.rangers.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=9738395
posted by mjsals at 05:03 PM on July 07, 2010
It was a bad night to be a fan at that game who wanted a souvenir baseball.
posted by grum@work at 05:03 PM on July 07, 2010
I got out of my microbio class last night after two and a half hours on prokaryotic taxonomy (meaning, I was a little....dazed) and turned my car on just in time to hear this happen live on the radio. Definitely one of the most surreal sports moments I can remember witnessing (for lack of a better word).
But like graymatters says, I'm a little surprised stuff like this doesn't happen more often, and not just at baseball games but any place with tiered seating. Then again, I don't have the highest expectations for humanity, so maybe I'm just being overly cynical.
posted by Ufez Jones at 06:08 PM on July 07, 2010
The Ranger's ballpark is one of the worst for ease of falling over a railing, at least of the parks I've personally attended. I've sat along that same rail many times, always felt it was pretty easy to accidentally fall over the rail.
Given the amount of beer some people consume, I'm surprised this isn't a more common occurrence.
posted by dviking at 11:00 PM on July 07, 2010
Another video of the broadcast includes a comment that was edited out of the MLB version: "I'm so glad we didn't see that," one announcer says. The other: "I'm so glad I didn't see it."
The MLB version is clipped and shortened. At first I thought they found and carted off the guy in a minute.