Terrible Tragedy of the Day: 39-year-old firefighter Shannon Stone of Brownwood, Texas, tragically fell 20 feet to his death during last night’s game at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington as he was reaching for a foul ball tossed into the stands by Rangers outfielder Josh Hamilton.
AP reports that Stone was conscious but went into cardiac arrest on the way to the hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Stone was apparently attempting to retrieve the ball as a souvenir for his son, who was seated next to him.
Rangers president Nolan Ryan released this statement shortly after:
We had a very tragic accident tonight and one of our fans lost their life reaching over the rail trying to get a ball. 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.
A similar incident took place last year when firefighter Tyler Morris fell from the ballpark’s second level while attempting to catch foul ball. Morris suffered a fractured skull and ankle, but survived.
