Injured at a Sporting Event? What You Need to Know
Posted August 8th, 2018 by Anthony Carbone, PC.
Categories: Personal Injury.
Whether it’s attending a baseball, basketball, or football game, sporting events are a good time all around for the fans who attend. But, what happens when that good time goes south?
Here’s the lowdown: You and a few buddies are attending a Sussex County Miners baseball game, having a great time catching up over some hot dogs and adult beverages. The weather is great. Everything is going smoothly.
But when your friend begins sneaking out of his row to go to the bathroom, he falls over a piece of broken stadium seating. He hits his head on the hard-concrete ground and lands awkwardly on his shoulder. After going to the emergency room, he was diagnosed with a concussion and a broken collarbone.
In this situation, who is responsible for your friend’s injuries? What can he do from a legal perspective? The Law Offices of Anthony Carbone has these answers.
Injuries at Sporting Events
Accidents can happen anywhere, even at a sporting event like the scenario above describes. If you are the victim of injury at a sporting event, it should be in your best interests to contact an experienced personal injury attorney right away.
When attending any sporting event, there is an assumption of risk. There are just things that happen that are out of fans’ control, such as a foul ball hitting you in the head or a basketball player landing on you courtside.
The assumption of risk acts as a defense to an injury claim by showing that the person who was injured knew the risk of injury was present. Similarly, tickets to sporting events may have a waiver included that states the ticket holder waives liability for any injuries that occur during the sporting event.
However, what if there isn’t a waiver included? What if the injury occurred from something that could have been prevented? In that same scenario we keep referring to, the broken piece of stadium seating could have been removed by someone who works at the baseball stadium. The removal of this hazard could have prevented your friend’s injuries. If this is the case, your friend may be able to pursue legal action against the stadium for negligence on their behalf.
Let’s change the factors in that scenario. What if your friend fell because he was extremely intoxicated and not because of broken stadium seating? If excessive alcohol consumption or another type of dangerous behavior played a role in an injury that occurred at a sporting event, the injured party would be at fault. This is called contributory negligence. When someone’s own conduct is partially responsible for causing his or her injuries, recovery for compensation and damages is barred.
Contact Personal Injury Attorney Anthony Carbone
If you were injured at a sporting event in New Jersey, regardless of the circumstances, you aren’t alone. Attorney Anthony Carbone is here to fight for your rights anywhere in the Garden State. Contact our law offices today to set up your free consultation.
