Substance mix factors in fatal fall
DENVER — A mixture of marijuana and alcohol played a role in the death of a man who fell from a stairway during a Colorado Rockies game, according to an autopsy report released Monday.
The report from the Denver medical examiner’s office shows Robert Seamans had marijuana in his system and a 0.19 percent blood-alcohol level, which is more than twice the legal limit for driving. The report said the drug and alcohol mix was a “significant” contributing factor in the 27-year-old’s death.
Seamans, of Pueblo, was trying to slide down a stair railing at Coors Field during the seventh inning of a May 24 game between the Rockies and the Arizona Diamondbacks. According to the autopsy report, he fell between 20 and 30 feet and struck his head on concrete. He was declared brain dead about 12 hours later on May 25, and his organs were harvested for donation.
Rockies spokesman Jay Alves said fans’ security safety is the team’s No. 1 priority. Railings at the stadium, which opened in 1995, comply with Denver’s building code, Alves said.
Seamans’ death is the second this season at a Major League Baseball ballpark involving railings designed to prevent fans from falling.
Officials at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, Texas, said they plan to make railings at the front of seating sections 42 inches high, 16 inches above the minimum required by city code, after a fan fell to his death July 7 while catching a ball at a Texas Rangers game.
