30-year-old man falls from upper deck of Busch Stadium

Fan falls from Busch Stadium upper deck

ST. LOUIS — A man fell headfirst from the upper deck at Busch Stadium on to the concourse below before the St. Louis Cardinals played the Minnesota Twins on Friday night.

The man was conscious as he was taken to a hospital for observation, said Joe Walsh, director of stadium operations. The team did not release the man’s name or age.

Witnesses said it appeared the man fainted in the 92-degree heat, although the team said it was unclear whether the fall was related to the weather. Walsh said the fan fell on to an empty seat after grazing a nearby female fan.

The fan apparently toppled over a front-row railing and fell about one story to the concourse while a youth choir was singing “God Bless America.” The fan was strapped to a gurney and wheeled away shortly after the game began.

St. Louis had its 10th straight day of temperatures in the 90s, which is not unusual this time of year. The Cardinals turned down a request by the city’s public safety director to reschedule weekend day games to evening hours to best avoid heat-related problems because it was too late to alter television and stadium workers’ schedules.