Shannon Stone falls to his death at the ballpark …
The Texas Rangers beat the Oakland A’s Thursday night, but the victory was overshadowed by tragic news. Firefighter Shannon Stone, 39, of Brownwood, Texas, attending the game with his young son, fell to his death during the game.
The accident took place in the second inning after Rangers center fielder Josh Hamilton tossed a foul ball up into the stands. Stone reached out to catch the ball, but lost his balance and tumbled headfirst over a railing, falling 20 feet onto concrete in a narrow gap between the seats and the 14-foot-high outfield wall.
The nearly 18-year firefighting veteran was able to converse with EMT’s, and expressed concern about leaving his 8 year-old son alone in the stands. Many considered this a positive sign but he soon went into cardiac arrest and was pronounced dead at a Fort Worth hospital less than an hour after the accident.
Veteran firefighter Shannon Stone
“We spoke to the ballclub, they understood what has happened and we spoke to Josh, I think as any of us would be, Josh is very distraught over this, as the entire team is.” said team president Nolan Ryan.
Ryan also sent his condolences to the man’s family, “As an organization, and as our team members and our staff, we’re very heavy-hearted about this, our thoughts and prayers go out to the family.”
Oakland’s manager Bob Melvin also spoke on the tragedy, “When you think you’ve had a bad day, something like that puts things in perspective. It’s just devastating.”
In light of the situation, the Rangers’ clubhouse was closed to reporters after the game.
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