This is heartbreaking…
A man fell to his death during a Phish concert at San Francisco’s Chase Center on Sunday night. Less than an hour later, another scary falling incident occurred in the same venue! According to witnesses, the first person fell from upper-level section 214 into section 111. There’s very little insight into the fall at this time, but one concertgoer believed the fall was no accident at all, claiming to KTVU:
“We were a couple rows behind the guy that jumped intentionally and we saw him right when he put his feet on the barrier, stood up, and just leapt.”
It wasn’t until later that the guest realized what had happened, Moen continued:
“He went out of view and I realized later, that was a huge drop, maybe four stories or so.”
Whoa… How scary!
But while eyewitnesses claim to have seen him come in contact with the railing, police released a statement on Tuesday to clarify that it seemed the victim had no contact with any barrier, stating:
“Immediately before the victim leapt, he did not appear to have any physical contact with any person or barrier/railing.”
San Francisco police responded to the medical emergency at around 8:55 p.m Sunday., a spokesperson told KPIX:
“Medics arrived and immediately provided medical treatment, but despite the efforts of the emergency responders the victim succumbed to his injuries and was declared deceased. We extend our heartfelt condolences to the guest’s loved ones.”
Despite what officials believe, another attendee spoke with the outlet to urge how unsafe the railings seemed. At just knee height, he claimed it would be too easy for someone to fall over, noting:
“They weren’t really designed for an event where everyone is up and dancing and there’s a whole lot of drug use.”
He even had a friend who wouldn’t go to that section for this very reason:
“My buddy was like, ‘I don’t go up there because I’m 6’4 and I’m scared of falling over the railing.’”
While Richard didn’t see everything that occurred, he alleged:
“He had gone over the clear plastic barrier which was no higher than, I guess, maybe your knees.”
What he did see was likely traumatizing, the Phish fan added:
“’I saw a man’s body, shirtless, draped over a seat.”
Langston also claimed that the shock of the fall was so loud, people around him thought a natural disaster had occurred:
“One of my friends said, ‘Is it an earthquake?’ And the other guy said, ‘I think someone fell.’’
An investigation into the cause of death is ongoing at this time, but there is no foul play expected. The victim’s name is being withheld until authorities can get in touch with his family members first. We are thinking of those loved ones in this sad time…
Sadly, just one hour after this man fell to his death, a second incident occurred around 9:45 p.m. Thankfully, nobody died in this situation, but it is still very harrowing. According to Jillian Ragia, who saw the second incident take place, a person fell from section 221 into section 116 after tripping down the stairs. She recalled to KPIX:
“He clearly missed a step and wasn’t holding onto that handrail and just kept going.”
He landed on another concertgoer, both of whom have been taken to the hospital for injuries. They are expected to make a full recovery, though their conditions are unknown at this time. Authorities confirmed that there is no evidence to suggest a “criminal violation” is associated with this accident. The rock band has yet to make a statement regarding the scary events at their show (which was livestreamed, FYI). Chase Center did speak up, but they didn’t really address anything. Instead, they asked everyone to direct their questions to the police, saying:
“We are working with the local authorities to determine exactly what happened, and will defer questions about the incident to the San Francisco Police Department.”
Seems like they aren’t taking any blame for the accident — which maybe they don’t need to; these could have just been coincidental events that were the aftermath of a rowdy concert and potential drug use, but, unfortunately, more horror stories at sports fields in cities around the country suggest renovations should take place ASAP.
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Just less than a month ago, a mother and her toddler son plummeted to their deaths at San Diego’s Petco Park, just before a Padres game. A witness claimed the mother fell after jumping over a picnic table bench near the ledge of an upper concourse. She lost her balance and rolled over the railing. Meanwhile in August, while attending a Dead & Company concert at Citi Field in New York, liquor company CEO Ian Crystal (potentially under the influence) attempted a backflip and fell to his death off a balcony. A driver working outside the stadium revealed:
“He was unresponsive and he hit the ground head first. There was no way he survived. He was way too drunk. You could smell it.”
The man’s brother was attending the game with him, the witness added:
“His brother came downstairs and found out he jumped. His brother was with him. He was crying.”
So, so sad. These tragic stories will seriously make us more careful whenever we’re at a large venue, and we truly hope that arenas and stadiums do their part in ramping up security measures so no one loses their life to a sudden fall like these again.
[Image via Chase Center/Phish/YouTube]
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