When the Milwaukee Brewers hit a home run at their home stadium, American Family Field, their mascot rides down a slide beyond the left field wall to celebrate. When a visiting reporter at a game on Wednesday went down the slide for a stunt, he broke bones.
The reporter, David Vassegh, who covers the Los Angeles Dodgers for SportsNet LA, rode down the slide before a game between the Brewers and the Dodgers last week. The yellow slide that twists from one tier of the ballpark to another below, a defining feature of Milwaukee's ballpark, is known as Bernie's Slide, named for the team's mascot.
Within seconds of the start of his descent, which was broadcast on SportsNet LA, Vassegh begins yelling.
"Holy crap, holy crap, holy crap," Vassegh says in the video of his slide.
At the end of his ride, Vassegh slammed into a barrier a few feet away from the foot of slide. The crash left Vassegh with a fractured wrist and six cracked ribs, according to SportsNet LA.
Joe Davis, a Dodgers TV play-by-play announcer, said that Vassegh had been talking about going down the slide for days.
"I've never heard somebody so excited about doing anything," Davis said during Wednesday's broadcast.
Despite his injuries, Vassegh didn't immediately seek medical care after the crash. He did a pregame interview with Justin Turner, the Dodgers' third baseman, before going to an urgent care center.