This was the second fatal accident this season after a fan died at a Colorado Rockies game.
These were different types of accidents. The fan in Texas was reaching for a ball tossed in the stands by outfielder Josh Hamilton. He reached for the ball and tumbled over the railing and behind the wall. The Rockies fan was sliding down a handrail at the stadium and fell off the railing. This seems similar to an incident at Turner Field in 2008. Both of these seem to be caused by horseplay, poor decisions, using handrails in a manner other than what they were designed for, and possibly alcohol (which is confirmed in the Turner Field case).
There was a death at Shea Stadium as well in 2008 where a father fell from an escalator, but was apparently not drunk or engaging in horseplay or anything like that. That's pretty inconcieveable, but apparently true.
What's even more amazing is that this is the second time in the past 12 months a fan has fallen over a railing at a Rangers game. Last July at Rangers Ballpark, a fan fell 30 feet from the second deck of seats while trying to catch a foul ball and suffered a fractured skull and sprained ankle.
Apparently the railings along edges must be at least 26 inches high to meet city safety ordiances and the railings are at 33 inches at the Rangers ballpark. The fan and family involved in the earlier incident apparently do not blame the ballpark or the Rangers at all in their case. I haven't heard what the recent tradegy will bring about.
The sad truth is that it was a freak accident and there is no one to blame. This was not a case of the railing giving out or the man being pushed or anything like that. It was a bad incident with a horrible end. The player, the kid, the other fans, the family, everyone is terribly effected and there's probably not a lot that can be done realistically to prevent this type of accident in the future.
Don't misunderstand, safety is a key factor, but some safety features, such as platforms or nets, also have the consequence of creating a false sense of security. Fans tend to lower their alertness with nets present leaving them more open to getting hit with balls or bats. People (and by people, I mean drunken idiots) may use nets to climb on or jump on at, say a Yankees game.
In fairness, police declined to say if alcohol was involved with the 18 year old and his decision to "see if the protective netting behind the plate could support the weight of a person".
Based on the video, I'm going to guess that he was intoxicated because of his look of, well, being intoxicated. At minimum, I hope he's intoxicated. What moron would jump into a net from 40 feet up to just test out if it could hold his weight? See, this is a yes / no question. "Can this net hold my weight?"
Yes: I land in it, look like an idiot, then get arrested and charged with reckless endangerment, criminal mischief, criminal trespassing and disorderly conduct plus I could seriously hurt myself.
No: It breaks and I fall into a crowd of people from a massive height.
Neither is a great choice.
Oh, and just so you're not confused, I'm talking about the 2005 fan who jumped in the net. Not the 2000 Yankees fan who, um, jumped in the net because he was dared to.
And he was drunk.
While neither was seriously hurt, they did suffer injuries. And those nets are not designed to catch people. At least, I don't think so. Even if they are, how long until someone misses jumping in the net and landing on someone? Or, just because they are designed for that reason, what if that safety system fails? It is the last resort with no backup for moron jumpers. I'm just saying that putting up safety devices are seen as challenges to others. So while safety is important, it is important to realize there must be some risk at times or you may put in further dangers previously unforeseen.
Plus, as mentioned, it gives that false sense of security because people will believe that because the safety system is there, it should or can be used. No, things like nets and platforms are put there in case something does happen, and should not be an invitation for inappropriate and dangerous actions. But people will undoubtedly use those safety features as a means to an end, not as a last resort for protection.
So, by adding a safety system, you may in fact be inviting more unsafe practices.
Don't believe me? Read this story. The quote below is from the story by Stephen Hawkins, an AP sports writer.
"Stone fell through a gap of several feet between the first row of seats and the 14-foot-high outfield wall that has a video scoreboard on it.
"That electronic board was installed before the 2009 season, replacing a hand-operated scoreboard that had been there since the stadium had opened.
"As part of those changes, a deck-like covering that had been over the gap was removed. That covering, in part, protected workers operating the old scoreboard from falling objects such as baseballs and items dropped from the stands.
"Nolan Ryan [Rangers President] said that decking also created a safety hazard when baseballs were there, not far out of reach from fans in the seats.
" "What we found was that it encouraged people when a ball was up there to jump down on to that surface and get the ball," Ryan said. "And we felt like that it increased risk, and so we removed it trying not to encourage people to do that." "
I think this might be a topic to discuss in great detail later. What can be done for safety that doesn't compromise fan enjoyment nor encourage unsafe behavior?
TTFN
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