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CNN Live Today
NHL Reviews Arena Safety After Death of Fan
Aired March 21, 2002 - 12:42 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Autopsy results show a girl who was struck by a puck at a National Hockey League game this weekend died from a rather rare injury; some say it was a freak accident. Brittanie Cecil hit in the head during a game in Columbus, Ohio, on Saturday. The autopsy shows Cecil damaged an artery when her head snapped back; that damage then led to a vicious cycle of clotting and swelling of the brain. Brittanie Cecil died two days later, two days before her 14th birthday.
The league, the NHL, says it is reviewing arena safety as a result of her death, the accident raising major concerns about the safety of spectators, and not just in the hockey arena.
John Zarrella has a look now, from Florida.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): At the Dallas Stars' morning practice -- in Chicago, at the Blackhawks' workout.
CASEY HANKINSON, CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS: You know, I think you have to look at it at some point to see what could be made so it never happens again.
ZARRELLA: In Florida, where the Panthers played the Canadians Wednesday night, players and fans took a timeout to reflect on a tragic, freakish accident, and to question their own safety.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Sitting down this close, especially with what happened, makes me even more nervous.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You have to be alert. You can't sit here gabbing. You have to watch the puck and watch the game.
ZARRELLA: The death of a teenaged girl hit in the head Saturday by a puck at an NHL game in Ohio has become a sudden jolt to the system, a reminder that fans do become victims.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ladies and gentlemen, we offer a safety reminder: to please pay attention to the game, because of the potential dangers caused by thrown or batted balls.
ZARRELLA: At Roger Dean Stadium, the spring training home of the Montreal Expos, the warning is announced twice a game. And it's flashed on the scoreboard and written on the side of the dugout, by the front-row seats.
(on camera): At sporting events, the best seats, the premium seats, are generally the ones closest to the action. The problem is at baseball, hockey, and, to a lesser extent, basketball games, those seats can often be the most dangerous.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, look out, that bat into the seats!
ZARRELLA (voice-over): But despite the added risk of sitting up close, that's where most fans want to be. Michele Klein and her son Ian have season tickets to the spring training games here, front row behind the dugout. Getting hit never crossed their minds.
MICHELE KLEIN, SEASON TICKET HOLDER: We have really great seats, but really we kind of want these seats because normally we bring a mitt and we're trying to catch a foul ball. So no, I never think of that.
ZARRELLA: Christian Gauthier is a hockey scout. He understands the danger, and makes sure he always reminds his family.
CHRISTIAN GAUTHIER, HOCKEY SCOUT: I tell them before they go to a hockey game, even minor hockey, they all sit close to the board. You have to make sure to keep your eye on the play, keep your eye on the puck all the time, because anything could happen.
ZARRELLA: Even a tragic accident that kills a child.
John Zarrella, CNN, Jupiter, Florida.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
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