The sister of a man who fell and died Saturday at the Baltimore Ravens' divisional playoff game has openly questioned the response of medical personnel as the tragedy unfolded at M&T Stadium.
As reported by NBC affiliate WBAL, Holly Stanson said her brother, 30-year-old Mike Kahler, was returning from a trip to the concessions stand when he tripped on the stadium stairs and hit his head. The trauma caused a siezure, which in turn caused a bleed on Kahler's brain.
"The main concern was when they were all waving, fans and everything, for the ushers to come over, it took them so much time to come over, and then when they did, they didn't know who to call and the response time for anybody with any type of training was after 15 minutes," Stanson told WBAL. "I'm want answers, and I'm mad as anything about it."
Stanson says her family is heartbroken over the death of Kahler, an avid Ravens fan she described as "one of those people who was like your rock."
In a statement released Monday, the Ravens claimed that stadium video indicates that EMTs were on the scene within three minutes of Kahler's fall. He was transported to a stadium first aid room within 14 minutes, and was in an ambulance headed to a nearby trauma center inside 30 minutes.
That wasn't good enough for Stanson. "It took seven men to carry my brother down from all the way up in the corner of the stadium because my brother was 6 foot 6, and he couldn't fit on the gurney," she said. "They actually let my brother's body slide off the gurney."
The Ravens organization would not share their procedure protocol or surveillance video of the incident, according to WBAL.
The team's statement reads: "Our prayer and sympathies go out to Michael Kahler’s family and friends.Our security video shows Mr. Kahler's stumble on the steps leading to his seat. In less than two minutes, a SAFE Management Team member reported the incident. Within three minutes from the stumble, two Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) arrived at the scene and began assessment and treatment. Within eight minutes of the stumble, an emergency doctor arrived. Within 14 minutes of the stumble, Mr. Kahler received additional emergency treatment in a nearby First Aid Room, and 15 minutes later, Mr. Kahler was transported in an ambulance to Maryland Shock Trauma."
"What I want out of it is for them to take proper steps to ensure this doesn't happen to another family, that this does not happen to somebody else's loved one, because this is a horrible thing to have to go through," Stanson said. "It scares us to death because what if that was a child in these stands? What if this was an elderly person?"
Any change in protocol will be too late for Kahler, who was recently engaged to be married. "He's gone, and he can't be replaced," his sister said. "He's just gone."
