ARLINGTON, Texas — A baseball fan fell from the second deck at Rangers Ballpark Tuesday night while reaching for a foul ball, injuring himself and four other people.
It happened along the first base line in the bottom of the fifth inning during a game with the Cleveland Indians.
“It’s a tough scene at the ballpark right now,” one TV announcer said in the moments after the fall.
The Rangers’ Nelson Cruz hit the ball into the first row of seats at the Club Level. A man tried to snag the ball before losing his balance.
An announcer said the fan tried to grab the railing of the suites below his deck, but couldn’t. Witnesses said he cartwheeled through the air and fell to the field deck about 30 feet below.
Video of the incident was not broadcast, but gasps from the crowd, umpires and announcers could be heard as the accident happened.
One of the first persons to come to the man’s aid was Derek Dilday, an off-duty paramedic.
“He was breathing hard; probably the wind got knocked out of him… No bleeding,” Dilday said. “He was trying to move his neck, but I was trying to hold his neck, so movement is good and he seemed OK.”
Emergency personnel carried the unidentified man away on a gurney at about 8:35 p.m. He was rushed to John Peter Smith Hospital in Fort Worth for treatment.
Rangers broadcaster Josh Lewin reported that the fan who fell was “stabilized, responsive, and moving all extremities.” He said four other people who were hurt in the incident were being treated at the Ballpark.
Umpires resumed the game after a 16-minute delay. The Rangers won 12-1.
“It was amazing; it was unbelievable, it really was,” Dilday said.
