Man dies after fall from Turner Field upper deck

[August 13, 2013]  ATLANTA, Ga. (AP) -- A man who fell more than 60 feet from an upper-level platform at Atlanta's Turner Field onto a parking lot during a baseball game died Monday night, police said.

Atlanta police spokesman John Chafee confirmed the death of the man, whose name has not been released. The man fell during Monday night's game between the Atlanta Braves and Philadelphia Phillies.

"At this time there's no indication of foul play and the fall appears accidental," Chafee said late Monday. "It appears he fell from an upper-level platform to a secured lot below."

Chafee said police received the report of the fall just before 9 p.m. Monday. When officers arrived, they located a man who appeared to have fallen 65 feet, or about six stories.

The man was transported to Atlanta Medical Center and died of his injuries.

Chafee said the fall occurred on the stadium's back side. He said witnesses described the fall as accidental, but that police were not releasing other details of what they said.

He said he did not know if wet conditions or alcohol were factors.

Heavy rains had led to a nearly two-hour delay of the game, which was scheduled to start at 7:10 p.m.

A Braves spokeswoman declined comment earlier Monday night, referring calls to the Atlanta police.

Monday's accident wasn't the first of its kind to happen at Turner Field, and marked at least the third time a sports fan has fallen from the stands in Atlanta in about a year.

Isaac Grubb, 20, of Lenoir City, Tenn. died after falling over a railing at the Georgia Dome during a football game between Tennessee and North Carolina State on Aug. 31, 2012. Authorities said he landed on another man seated in the lower level, and that alcohol was a factor.

A man fell about 25 feet over a staircase railing at a Georgia Tech-Miami football game on Sept. 22, 2012 and was not seriously injured.

In May 2008, a 25-year-old Cumming, Ga. man suffered head injuries when he fell down a stairwell at Turner Field during a game between the Braves and the New York Mets and later died. Police found that alcohol had factored into that accident, which the Braves had said was the first non-medical fatality to happen at the ballpark.

Turner Field became the home of the Braves in 1997, a year after serving as the site of events for the 1996 Summer Olympics.

[Associated Press; By PHILLIP LUCAS]

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