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Fan falls to death at Houston Texans' Reliant Stadium

HOUSTON -- A fan who attended a preseason Houston Texans game at Reliant Stadium fell to his death from an escalator, officials said Friday.

The fan fell from the escalator while attending a preseason game Thursday between the Houston Texans and the Minnesota Vikings, Reliant Stadium officials said in a statement.

The Houston medical examiner's office confirmed in an email Friday that it received the body. The medical examiner's website said the man, who was not identified, died in a Houston emergency room.

Houston police spokesman Kese Smith said the fall occurred at the north end of the stadium and that the fan's condition wasn't known.

In 2011, a firefighter attending a Texas Rangers game in Arlington died when he fell from the left field stands while reaching for a baseball tossed his way by All-Star outfielder Josh Hamilton.

Shannon Stone fell about 20 feet onto concrete when he tumbled over the left-field railing after catching the ball and falling into an area out of sight from the field as the Rangers faced Oakland. Cooper Stone, his 9-year-old son, witnessed the fall during the second inning.

In April, a statue of Stone and his son was dedicated to Rangers fans in front of the home plate gate at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington. Railings also were raised throughout the ballpark before this season.

Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press