Spectator Injured at Football Stadium

Case Overview

This case involves an injury at a football stadium. The plaintiff was attending an NFL game in the state of Washington. The weather conditions at the venue became very windy as a storm was approaching. While in a picnic area, a large gust of wind carried a large steel garbage can, among other debris, and seriously injured the plaintiff. It is alleged that the defendant should have monitored the inclement weather, secured any loose equipment, and ushered patrons to a safer area. Experts in event management and meteorology were sought to opine on the issue.

Questions to the Sports Injury expert and their responses

Can you discuss your background in managing stadiums for baseball games?

I hold spectator safety in the highest regard. At our stadium, we constantly seek to update and improve our policies and procedures to maintain the highest levels of safety and enjoyment for fans.

Based on the brief case summary, was there anything that could have been done to avoid the injury?

Specifically, after learning about an injury that occurred offsite, involving an inflatable bouncy house that was carried away in high winds, I changed our policy to restrict the use of our inflatable attraction if winds exceed 12mph. When we designed and built the stadium, we had such potential safety hazards in mind and purposely purchased garbage cans with adequate weight to prevent them from being blown over in heavy winds and bolted down practically all exposed items, including picnic tables and other portable equipment. Our standard operating procedures dictate that during inclement weather our ushers move fans under the protection of the structure between the first and second levels. In certain cases when weather is clearly going to be an issue we will close off our picnic areas ahead of time to avoid an incident.

About the expert

This expert has spent over 20 years around professional baseball and has worked in all baseball related aspects of the business including management and oversight of the food and beverage operations, marketing and promotions, and baseball operations. He is currently responsible for the strategic operations and future expansion of his baseball organization. He has gained extensive experience in all aspects of the sport from players to front office management. That background includes executive management positions and involvement with a strong lineup of sports organizations such as Durham Bulls, Burlington Indians, Fort Myers Miracle, and Charleston River Dogs. In 2001, he began serving a three-year stint as President of Portland Family Entertainment, whose sports holdings included the Triple -“A Portland Beavers, the Class- A Tri-City Dust Devils and the A-League Portland Timbers.

E-008921

Specialties:

Sports Injury