Man who died at Braves stadium was installing beer invention, fulfilling his childhood dream
On Tuesday afternoon, the body of Todd Keeling was found inside a walk-in beer cooler at the Atlanta Braves ballpark, SunTrust Park, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Keeling was found by another worker at the stadium. He was given CPR but to no avail.
While investigators are stating that it’s too early to determine if there was any foul play, police have told Keeling’s family that he was in the cooler and unable to get out.
Keeling was a third-party contractor from Minnesota who came to SunTrust Park to install his new beer tap technology, Draftwell.
Draftwell already had been installed at the Twins’ ballpark, Target Field, and the Braves wanted the Draftwell taps because they cut down pour times from a 14-second average to five seconds.
His aunt, Fran Kuchta, said that her nephew was fulfilling a childhood dream by getting the opportunity to install his own invention in ballparks across the country.
“This is his dream since he was a kid,” Kuchta said.
In addition to Target Field, Draftwell was also installed at the White Sox’s Guaranteed Rate Field, and there were likely plans to add it into more ballparks after SunTrust Park.
“He worked hard to do this. … I’m sure things would have gone on further,” Kuchta said.
Keeling’s two teenage sons accompanied him on the trip to Atlanta to help with the installation, but they had left a few days prior to his body being discovered.
“He made everyone smile wherever he went,” his wife, Kelly, said in a statement. “He had a big heart and loved his children and wife more than anything in this world. We are hopeful that our family’s wish for privacy during this horrible time can be respected.”
Per Kuchta, Keeling’s mother was watching the evening news on Tuesday when she got a call from Keeling’s wife. His mother then started screaming at the news of her son’s death and didn’t get any more information about it until she told police, “My son is dead, I need answers.”
The Braves released a statement on Keeling’s death on Wednesday.
“The Atlanta Braves are deeply saddened by the passing of Todd Keeling,” the team said. “We admired the passion he had for both his company and his product. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family.”
SunTrust Park just opened in 2017, but this isn’t the first time that someone has died at an Atlanta Braves’ ballpark.
In 2015, a 60-year-old man fell to his death from the upper deck of Turner Field while the Braves were hosting the Yankees.
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