FanHouse FanDeath

The New York Mets can't move into their new stadium fast enough, as Shea Stadium is quickly becoming something of a death trap. Back in April, a fan named Antonio Nararainsami plunged to his death when he fell off an escalator after a Mets game against the Washington Nationals. It was a tragic incident, but it wasn't the first time a fan died at Shea. Back in 1985, a 21-year old fell 100 feet from an escalator to his death below.

Well, it happened again on Saturday night.

A fan was seriously injured after plunging 25 feet from the handrails of an escalator at Shea Stadium during Saturday's New York Mets game, police and team officials said.

The fan, a 26-year-old man, fell about 10 p.m. from the box-seat level to a floor near Gate D at the stadium as the Mets played the St. Louis Cardinals, police Detective Brian Sessa said.

The unconscious man was taken to a hospital, the Fire Department said. He was in critical condition early Sunday but expected to survive, said police Lt. John Grimpel.

It's great news that the fan is expected to survive, but I hope the Mets don't just keep going about their business. I've never been to Shea Stadium, so I don't know how vital the escalators really are, but I think it's about time they start forcing Mets fans to walk up the ramps if possible. One death at a baseball game is too many, let alone three.

Sad news out of Shea Stadium last night, where a fan died as a result of losing his balance on an escalator (which wasn't moving for whatever reason) and falling to his death while his family witnessed the entire horrific scene.

Antonio Nararainsami, 36, and several relatives, including his two young daughters, were leaving the stadium at the end of Tuesday night's game against the Washington Nationals when he fell in a section below the left field stands and landed on a concrete floor. Nararainsami, a Guyanese native who lived in Brooklyn, was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead half an hour later.

Kevin Prashad, a cousin who attended the game, said Nararainsami was walking down the escalator, which wasn't moving, and was holding the hand rail when he "lost his footing."

Speaking as somebody who's been to Shea Stadium numerous times, I can tell you that there's plenty of times when an escalator or elevator isn't working here or there in the stadium. Saying that, there's no way to know if anybody is at fault in this instance, so there's no point in even speculating. As of now, this is simply a tragic, tragic event which is even more heartbreaking because his family was witness to it. Our prayers go out to them.

A 14-year-old boy from Scituate, Mass. died at a minor league hockey game between the Portland Pirates and the Providence Bruins at the Dunkin' Donuts Center in Providence on Friday night. It was "Revival Night," an annual promotion by the team that attracts more than a thousand church congregants to the arena. The Providence Journal reports that that boy, a member of the Word of Life Fellowship Christian outreach program, stayed for the night's postgame festivities -- and that's when an unbelievable tragedy occurred:

The boy - who did not participate in the after-game competitions - won the raffle's grand prize, a Nintendo Wii game console, according to [arena general manager Lawrence] Lepore. "He came down from the stands to get his prize and he either tripped or fell or collapsed," Lepore said yesterday. The boy was taken by New England Ambulance to Hasbro Children's Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.

The Journal doesn't offer a clear geography of where this fall took place, and none of the sources offer insight as to how his injuries could have ended up being fatal. The paper reports that the Providence Police Department is investigating the death pending results of an autopsy. The P-Bruins have released a statement, which indicates that the Wii was being awarded by The Word of Life and not the team, and the P-Bruins planned a moment of silence before Sunday's game.

The Dunkin' Donuts Center had just reopened earlier this month after being closed for six months during "phase two" of a three-phase, $80 million renovation. Lepore told The Journal in a Nov. 14 story that his arena was "the safest public building in the country" because of the advanced life-safety measures added during that renovation.
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