Stadium Injury
Advocating for Stadium Injury Victims
People usually go to stadiums for entertainment, in the form of sporting events or concerts. If you are attending a popular event, the stadium may be packed with people. Accidents and injuries are more likely to occur in stadiums than they are in restaurants, movie theaters, and other types of businesses. When a person is injured at a stadium, the issue of liability can be complicated.
What Types of Injuries Happen in Stadiums?
Generally, people attending events in stadiums are injured in one of three ways:
Injuries from flying balls or pucks: Baseballs hit by professional batters that may be traveling at high speeds can cause severe damage when they hit a spectator. A hockey puck can be equally lethal.
Injuries caused by other spectators in the stadium: Sports fans who are consuming alcohol while watching a game can get over-excited and even become violent in a dispute with another spectator.
Slip or trip and fall accidents: It is not uncommon for spectators to fall down the stairs, trip on an uneven walkway, or slip on a wet floor in a stadium.
What Is the Arizona Premises Liability Law?
Under Arizona premises liability law, property and business owners are liable for injuries due to negligence that occur on their property, whether they were directly involved. Property owners and managers have a duty to keep the premises free of hazards. If any dangerous areas exist, they have a duty to mark them off and to warn others. If you are injured in a place of business, the business may be liable for your injuries. In a stadium, however, it will depend on the nature of your accident and injuries.
Who Can Be Held Responsible for Negligence?
Injuries Caused by Flying Balls or Pucks
If you are hit by a ball or a puck in a Phoenix stadium, it may be difficult to prove negligence. Most tickets to sporting events have a disclaimer on the back (in small print), stating that, in attending the event, you assume the risk of injury from balls, pucks, or players leaving the field. The stadium may still be liable in some cases. The owner has a duty to take reasonable steps to minimize the risk for spectators, such as installing netting behind home plate to protect spectators from foul ball injuries. If the netting does not meet industry standards on how far it should extend, or if a ball flies through a hole in the netting, the stadium may be liable.
Injuries Caused by Other Spectators
If you were injured by another spectator, you may have an injury claim against that person. If an overexcited fan assaulted and injured you in a one-sided fight, you should be entitled to claim damages. If an intoxicated spectator accidentally caused you injury, that person may be held liable. If the stadium staff or staff of another vendor at the stadium allowed a drunken person into the stadium or continued to serve him when he was visibly intoxicated, you may have a case against the stadium or vendor, as well.
Slip or Trip and Fall Accidents
To prevail in a slip or trip and fall premises liability claim, you must prove the stadium owner was negligent, and that negligence caused your injuries. This may be fairly clear-cut if your accident was caused by a part of the physical structure in disrepair, such as a broken stairway or uneven walkway. On the other hand, if you slipped and fell on a floor that was wet because another spectator spilled a drink, it is not likely that the stadium owner can be found liable. When a temporary hazard such as a spilled drink occurs, the stadium owner has no reasonable notice of the hazard or opportunity to clean it up.
Representation for Stadium Accident Victims
If you have been hurt in a stadium accident, call The Husband & Wife Law Team. Our premises liability attorneys are dedicated to helping injured people.