Texas Rangers fan loses life in unfortunate accident at ballpark

Thursday, a fan fell 20 feet after reaching over a rail at Rangers Ballpark to catch a ball from a player.

A 38-year-old firefighter identified as Shannon Stone attended the game with his son and beckoned for a ball from Texas Rangers outfielder Josh Hamilton. In the process of catching the ball, Stone fell over the railing to a concrete area below.

We had a very tragic accident tonight and one of our fans lost their life reaching over the rail trying to get a ball,” team President Nolan Ryan said. “As an organization, and as our team members and our staff, we’re very heavy-hearted about this, and our thoughts and prayers go out to the family.

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This is not a singular occurrence, as a fan suffered injuries from falling at Rangers Ballpark one year ago.

I feel bad for Mr. Stones son having witnessed his father’s fall, and also for Josh Hamilton. Players oblige fans all the time by giving away foul and errant balls, but I’m sure they never expect such a tragic outcome.