NFL Fan Falls to Death During Preseason Game
A fan at a Nation Football League preseason game in Texas fell to his death as fans looked on in horror.
The unidentified 25-year-old fan allegedly fell nearly 60 feet from a fifth-floor escalator at Reliant Stadium during a preseason Houston Texans game, police said Friday.
The fan was seen falling to the ground during Thursday night's game against the Minnesota Vikings. Reports indicate that witnesses called police to report the incident, according to police spokesman John Cannon.
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Police initially stated that the death appeared to be an accident, but an investigation is currently underway. The victim's name has not been released pending notification of the victim's family.
The man was traveling down from the fifth floor when he fell to the ground, according to Mark Miller, the general manager of SMG-Reliant Park.
Two medical teams working at the stadium treated the man at the scene before he was transported to Memorial Hermann Hospital, where he died, reported the Associated Press.
"We make sure they're not overloaded and we try to operate them in the safest possible manner," Miller said.
The elevators where the accident occurred were closed while inspections and Reliant Park officials determine the safety of the escalators.
"We have our procedures in place, the league has a whole comprehensive set of best practices relative to fan behavior and stadium security," Texans' president Jamey Rootes said.
"We've always been rated at the very highest level ... I don't know that anything changes," he added.
The Texans open the regular season Sept. 9 with a home game against the Miami Dolphins.
This was not the first time a fan fell to their death during a sporting event. In 2011, a fan at a Texas Rangers game in Arlington died when he fell from the left field stands while reaching for a foul ball.
