Amid the excitement of San Francisco's win over the Green Bay Packers at Candlestick Park Sunday, there was tragedy.
According to the Associated Press, a fan died when he fell from an elevated pedestrian walkway in the stadium onto a sidewalk below. Off-duty medics attempted to revive the man, but were unable to do so.
"Multiple independent witnesses indicated he appeared to be intoxicated prior to his fall," according to a news release from the San Francisco police. The incident occurred just minutes after the game began.
This is an issue that is becoming all-too-common. Also Sunday, a railing at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis collapsed, injuring two fans who were leaning against the barrier above the tunnel leading to Oakland's locker room. It appeared both fans escaped serious injury, stadium officials said. On Aug. 30, a fan at a Denver Broncos game was seriously injured when he fell off an escalator. Earlier in August, a Georgia man fell to his death at Atlanta's Turner Field.
The frequency of these incidents has caused many stadium operators and Athletic Business readers to ask if stadiums could be doing more to keep fans safe:
@AthleticBiz This makes you think...Are sport facilities really being planned for game day/safety? Seen too many articles like this lately.
- Tyrik Wilder (@TyrikWilder) September 9, 2013
We've asked that very question in previous articles. Here's some of our coverage:
Should Building Codes be Changed to Keep Fans from Falling Out of Their Seats?
Victim in Fatal Deck Fall Was Drunk; Should That Matter?
Texas Rangers' Railing Renovation May Not Impact Codes, Other Teams
