49ers fan dies after fall at stadium. A tragic trend?

49ers fan dies: A man fell to his death from an elevated pedestrian walkway at Candlestick Park Sunday during a 49ers game against the Green Bay Packers in San Francisco. More than a dozen cases of fans falling in stadiums have been reported since 2003.

One sports fan fell to his death in a U.S. stadium, and two others were injured in a fall at a second park, authorities said. The incidents happened on the first day of the professional football season.

A man fell to his death from an elevated pedestrian walkway at Candlestick Park during a National Football League game in San Francisco on Sunday. Multiple witnesses reported the man appeared to be intoxicated. Authorities said he appeared to be in his 30s.

The death came just after kickoff in the San Francisco's 34-28 win over Green Bay, police said

The same day, a railing collapsed at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, injuring two unidentified fans who were leaning against a barrier. Barney Levengood, the stadium's executive director, later issued a statement that said one person was released after receiving medical attention at the stadium. The other was taken to a hospital for additional evaluation.

Since 2003, there have been more than two dozen cases of fans falling at stadiums across the United States, according to the Institute for the Study of Sports Incidents.

Earlier this year in Atlanta, Ronald Lee Homer Jr. died after falling over a railing. He fell 85 feet to the stadium parking lot. His death was the third at an Atlanta stadium in the past year.

In May 2008, a spectator died after falling 150 feet inside Turner Field. Justin Hayes, 25, of Cumming, fell from the upper deck concourse to the field level concourse behind home plate, reports the Atlantic Journal Constitution.

Last year, a college football fan fell 45 feet to his death at the Georgia Dome. On Aug. 31, Isaac Grubb, 20, of Lenoir City, Tenn., fell during the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game between Tennessee and North Carolina State, Georgia World Congress Center Authority officials previously said.

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