Tag Archives: phish

Phish Fan Injured After Being Fallen On at SF Chase Center Concert Describes Brush with Death – CBS San Francisco

OAKLAND (CBS SF) — The man struck by a fellow concert goer who accidentally fell from the Chase Center upper deck at Sunday night’s Phish show suffered a broken leg, but told KPIX on Tuesday the accident easily could have been fatal.

“Life and death is seriously a game of inches,” said Evan Reeves, the avid Bay Area music fan and die-hard Phish follower who was injured in the second incident.

Evan Reeves, Phish fan injured at Chase Center (CBS)

The accidental fall happened about an hour after an attendee fell to his death from the upper level into the seats of Section 116 at the Chase Center.

San Francisco authorities are still investigating that fatal fall, but the San Francisco Medical Examiner on Tuesday identified the victim as 47-year-old Athens, NY resident Ryan Prosser.

Reeves was waiting for the band’s second set when the man fell from Section 213 and landed on him at about 9:45 p.m. Sunday.

“Right inside portal 50, between sections 213 and 214, there’s a flat foyer area with one row of folding ADA seats at the very front,” explained Reeves, a 44-year-old Oakland resident. “I was sitting cross-legged on the floor right behind those seats waiting for the second set to start.”

Reeves’s assigned seat was actually in the second row of upper deck Section 217, but he said he had moved to find space elsewhere because he “…didn’t feel safe dancing there.”

“The balcony rows are super narrow, so it’s really hard to dance at your seat without fearing that you’re going to trip and fall,” he said. “I just decided to find another spot.”

His concern stemmed partly from how low the plexiglass barriers are at the front of the upper-level seating sections, what he referred to as “pony walls.”

“Those pony walls seriously need to be more than a few inches higher,” Reeves said. “When I met my friend at my assigned seat, we were commenting to each other how low and dangerous the wall is.”

That moment, he witnessed what he said could have been another fall from the upper-level seating at Chase Center during the same evening.

“In fact, during that exchange I saw a guy sitting on the pony wall facing his seat. One bump and he’d be a goner,” remembered Reeves. “It should not be possible to sit on.”

Witnesses told KPIX 5 they saw a man one level above trip and plunge over the barrier from the third level. He landed in Reeves’s lap, which helped break the man’s fall. The person who fell was seriously injured, but survived.

Reeves said the moment of impact when he was hit by the falling Phish fan was shocking.

“Well, it was a loud thud, then sharp pain in my left leg and a guy’s head in my lap,” said Reeves. “I right away dragged myself a few feet away to get some distance so he could be treated.”

Despite the surprise, Reeves quickly gathered what had transpired.

“I knew immediately what had happened, because as an usher in the music scene, I had already heard many stories of people falling from balconies over the years,” Reeves said.

Despite the pain he was feeling after being injured, Reeves told paramedics he wasn’t ready to head to the hospital for treatment.

“My first thought, after hoping the guy’s OK, was hoping I wouldn’t have to miss the second set,” he said. “With the on-site doctor’s consent, I convinced them to wheel me back in for the last 40 minutes while I waited for my wife to pick me up to take me to an Oakland hospital.”

Reeves shared a photo that showed him grooving away in a wheelchair during the band’s performance.

Evan Reeves post Chase Center injury (CBS)

After being examined at Alta Bates Summit Hospital, Reeves was unquestionably lucky to have only suffered a broken leg under the circumstances.

“Once they confirmed it was a fibula fracture with no displacement, they pretty much sent me on my way with an ACE bandage and crutches,” said Reeves.

Doctors estimate it will take six weeks for his broken leg to heal. Reeves said he’s counting his blessings.

“If I had been sitting two inches to the side, he could’ve landed right on my head and it could’ve been game over,” explained Reeves. “Or if I had been sitting two inches the other way, I wouldn’t have been there to help break his fall. It could’ve been worse for him.”

A Chase Center spokesperson released the following statement regarding the incidents Monday:

“We are working with the local authorities to determine exactly what happened, and will defer questions about the incident to the San Francisco Police Department.”

Anyone with information about either case is being asked to contact the Police Department’s tip line at (415) 575-4444 or to text a tip to TIP411 with “SPD” at the start of the message.

Andria Borba contributed to this story.

Read original article here

Fans at S.F. Phish concert recount fear as man fell to his death at Chase Center

Officials at San Francisco’s Chase Center, the home of the Golden State Warriors, are assuring fans that the venue is safe after one man died and two people were injured in separate incidents at a Phish concert Sunday.

Though more details about how and why the injuries occurred are still under investigation by the San Francisco Police Department, multiple accounts of the episodes were posted to social media by other concert-goers who suggested two people fell from the arena’s upper levels roughly an hour apart.

On Tuesday, the San Francisco Medical Examiner identified the man who died in the first incident around 8:55 p.m. as 47-year-old Ryan Prosser of Athens, N.Y.

Warriors and Chase Center spokesperson Kimberly Veale told The Chronicle that officials at the venue are awaiting the “findings of proper authorities” to determine what happened before commenting on the incidents.

Police said there is no evidence of foul play.

“Chase Center was built and is operated in accordance with all safety standards and requirements governing facilities of its kind in the state of California and the city and county of San Francisco,” Veale said.

A concert headlined by the country music duo Dan + Shay is scheduled for Wednesday, followed by the Warriors home opener on Thursday and a two-night stint by the Eagles on Friday and Saturday.

Johnny Greavu had gotten tickets in the upper deck for the sold out Dead and Co. show at Chase Center on New Year’s Eve, 2019, but left that concert early “because I was so freaked out at how steep it was,” he said Tuesday. “Those railings are only waist high.”

Vowing to never again buy upper deck tickets at Chase, he was in section 116, the lower level, mid-row, mid-court, with seven friends at Phish. It was 8:50 p.m., almost an hour into the first set. The band was playing “Destiny Unbound.”

“We heard a large thump, a big bang,” said Greavu, 29. We thought someone fell from a few rows behind us. We were all looking around. Then we look and there is a body in front of us.”

The victim had clipped the shoulders of two friends sitting in front of Greavu.

“He fell on seats that were’ thank god, unoccupied,” Greavu said. “He covered at least two of them and one was broken. I’m struggling to get the image out of my head. I think he died on impact because he didn’t move at all.”

Someone ran up the steps to the concourse and came back with two uniformed police officers followed by a medic. The band played on and the light show stayed on through the next song. Soon the body was removed and a tarp placed over the landing spot. Greavu and his seven friends left section 116.

“We were walking around at intermission and most people weren’t aware of it,” Greavu said. “I debated leaving but ended up staying though I couldn’t really enjoy the show.”

Dan Fitzsimmons of Kelseyville, who sat in the 219 section of the arena during Sunday’s concert, said he saw a man fall through a “large opening” in the section.

“The rows are so steep that when he began to fall, there was no stopping,” Fitzsimmons said, calling the arena “a death trap.”

He said the barriers designed to protect the audience in the upper tiers are too low.

“When I first got the arena, my seat was up against the safety plexiglass,” Fitzsimmons said. “I did not feel safe as I am 6’ and the safety glass came below my hip. One bad move I could go over. So we moved up a row. Even there, I did not feel safe dancing as the seats on the downslope barely reach over your ankles.”

Venue Solutions Group, which assisted in the development of safety and engineering at Chase Center, declined to comment.

Incidents such as these are rare but do happen, said journalist Don Muret, who has reported extensively about the construction and operation of arenas and stadiums as senior editor of the industry journal VenuesNow.

“Everybody is trying to design the most intimate bowl,” he said, referring to the seating area inside the arena that wraps around the stage. “When you’re squeezing the bowl, you’re going to have that very steep incline, especially in the upper decks. That appears to be the general trend.”

In August, a man fell from a balcony to his death at a Dead & Company concert at Citi Field in New York. Another man sustained serious injuries after falling off the upper level of the Hollywood Palladium during a Blink-182 concert in 2013.

Closer to home, a San Jose man facing domestic violence charges jumped to his death from the roof of the stage at Saratoga’s Mountain Winery during a concert by the Swell Season in 2008.

Evan Reeves, a 44-year-old Oakland man who was struck by the victim in the second incident at 9:45 p.m., told KPIX that he suffered a broken leg but received consent from the venue’s on-site doctor to finish watching the show in a wheelchair before being taken to the hospital.

A representative for the band Phish, which played at the venue on Saturday as well as Sunday, directed requests for comment back to officials at Chase Center.

Especially when alcohol or other substances are involved, Muret said, it can be difficult for fans to navigate venues that are already tough to get around.

“When the lights go down, sometimes you don’t see everything that’s going on,” Muret said. “People are up and dancing and having a good time. People are looking down at their phones. Sometimes they’re not paying attention.”

The arena in Mission Bay, which has a listed capacity of 18,064, premiered to great fanfare in September 2019 with a run of joint concerts featuring Metallica and the San Francisco Symphony. It was open to audiences for only about six months before it closed its doors due to state and local coronavirus mandates.

Chase Center reopened to live audiences for Warriors games in the spring, and concerts resumed in September.

Chronicle staff writers Sam Whiting and Annie Vainshtein contributed to this report.

Aidin Vaziri is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: avaziri@sfchronicle.com

Read original article here

Phish fan dies after falling during concert at Chase Center in San Francisco

A man fell to his death after plummeting from an upper level of the Chase Center during a Phish concert on Sunday night.

The jam band was playing its final of three shows in a row at the venue when officials were alerted of a person in need of medical attention, possibly due to a fall around 8:55 p.m. on Sunday night, San Francisco Police told KQED.

He was declared dead at the scene.

“Medics arrived and immediately provided medical treatment, but despite the efforts of the emergency responders the victim succumbed to his injuries and was declared deceased,” Officer Robert Rueca told the outlet in an email.

The exact cause of death is being investigated by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, but foul play is not expected, police said.

The decedent’s name has not been made public.

Less than an hour later at 9:45 p.m., officers responded to another report of a man who had fallen, injuring both himself and another man he landed on. Both were taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, police told KQED.

Phish has not yet released a statement about the incident.
Getty Images for SiriusXM

“I think we’re still in shock. It was pretty intense,” Erika Munsch, who was four rows away from where the victim died, told NBC Bay Area. “There was no movement. The fact that they did CPR so quickly was a sign that, like, it wasn’t good.”

“I can’t get the image out of my mind,” the stunned Phish fan said.

Police said the investigation and the causes of these falls have not been determined at this time.

Chase Center released a statement saying, “We extend our heartfelt condolences to the victim’s loved ones,” Chase Center said, according to NBC Bay Area. “We are working with local authorities to determine exactly what happened.”

The band has not yet made a statement on the incident.

The concert took place at the Chase Center in San Francisco.
AP

Read original article here

1 Dead, 2 Injured In Separate Falls During Phish Concert At Chase Center – CBS San Francisco

SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) – One person has died and two others were injured in separate falls during a concert at the Chase Center in San Francisco on Sunday night featuring the band Phish.

A San Francisco police spokesperson confirmed to KPIX 5 on Monday that around 8:55 p.m., police were alerted to a person in need of medical assistance. When officers arrived, they found a man who was suffering from injuries caused by a possible fall.

READ MORE: San Francisco School Board Recall Petitions Certified; Collins, Lopez, Moliga Face Vote In February

“Medics arrived and immediately provided medical treatment, but despite the efforts of the emergency responders the victim succumbed to his injuries and was declared deceased,” the spokesperson said.

Police said there is no evidence of foul play. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner was called to the scene and that the investigation into the death is ongoing.

There were reports on Reddit that had witnesses saying the first person who fell from the upper level landed on his head with enough force to break the seat he struck. They also described staff trying to quickly clean up blood from the victim’s injuries as police proceeded to question concert attendees about the incident.

READ MORE: Freight Train Carrying Hazardous Sulfuric Acid Derails In Oakland

Another Reddit poster said that the first jumper landed just a couple of rows behind him.

“It’s so lucky that nobody besides him was hurt,” the post read. “The sound and scene were incredible and horrifying.”

Less than an hour later, at 9:45 p.m. officers and medics responded to another fall at the arena. In that incident, an adult male who fell along with another patron who was struck by the falling man were taken to the hospital for non-life threatening injuries. According to officers, there were no signs of any criminal violation associated with the incident.

MORE NEWS: San Francisco Youth Who Get COVID Vaccine Eligible For SFSU Scholarship Drawing

KPIX 5 has reached out to Chase Center arena officials for comment.

Read original article here