Bills ban fan who fell out of Ralph Wilson Stadium's upper deck

Steve Bradley | USA TODAY Sports

The fan who slid down a handrail and fell into the crowd at Ralph Wilson Stadium on Sunday has been banned from attending future Buffalo Bills games.

"The irresponsible behavior that occurred at yesterday's game by the fan who fell from the upper deck is a violation of our Fan Code of Conduct and cannot, and will not, be tolerated," Bills' President and CEO Russ Brandon said in a statement issued on Monday afternoon.

"This individual will not be permitted back into Ralph Wilson Stadium. The vast majority of our fans who attend Bills home games at Ralph Wilson Stadium do so in a responsible manner and we continue to work diligently to eliminate those individuals who violate our Fan Code of Conduct from game days at our stadium. We are cooperating with the Erie County Sheriff's Office during their investigation of this incident and we want to extend our best wishes for a speedy recovery to the fan who was injured in the 200 level."

Jeff Savidge, a season ticket holder, had a bird's-eye view when the fan fell from the third deck and landed on another man at the start of the second quarter of the Bills' 37-14 win over the New York Jets on Sunday afternoon.

Savidge said he was looking around and talking with other spectators when a man slid down a handrail and flipped backward, falling about 30 feet onto another fan. Savidge said he saw the falling spectator out of the corner of his eye as he crashed into the other fan's neck and flipped again, landing a couple of rows in front of him.

Bills Fan Falls from Upper Deck of Ralph Wilson Stadium Bills Fan Falls from Upper Deck of Ralph Wilson Stadium

"It was kind of crazy," Savidge said. "The fact that he fell on that other guy kind of cushioned him."

Savidge said members of the Erie County Sheriff's Department, stadium security and other fans came to the aid of the injured spectators immediately.

"Everyone did a great job of just making sure everyone was all right," Savidge said.

Savidge said the man who fell took a moment to regroup and did not seem seriously injured.

"He kind of sat right up, took a minute to get his bearings and said 'I'm OK, I'm OK,' " Savidge said.

The spectator who the man landed on seemed to be more seriously injured, Savidge said. A statement from the Bills on Sunday said both were taken to a hospital. WGRZ-TV in Buffalo reported that both injured fans were treated and have been released from Erie County Medical Center.

Savidge said the scene was a bit chaotic at first.

"People were kind of confused at first, trying to see where the heck he came from," he said.

Savidge saw a video of the incident on Facebook when he returned home after the game.

"I couldn't believe that anybody would want to do that," he said.

Erie County sheriff's spokeswoman Mary Murray told the Associated Press that the incident is under investigation and charges may be filed.

Murray also said both injured spectators were from the Buffalo area.

Savidge said the Bills offered some spectators in the area a chance to watch the remainder of the game in a suite. Some accepted, some declined and some went for a while before returning to their original seats, he said.

Contributing: The Associated Press

***

Bradley also writes for the (Rochester, N.Y.) Democrat and Chronicle