Attending a sports game at a stadium is thrilling and exciting, but it also has dangers associated with it. Whether you're attending a baseball game, football game, or even a large pro-wrestling event, you should not be held responsible for injuries that occur to you while attending a stadium. If you have been injured at a stadium, it's a good idea to consult with a lawyer and determine your options for seeking a settlement. As the case is built, there are five factors that may impact the case. Each of the factors focuses on different stadium elements that may have caused the injury when it could have been prevented in the first place.
Walking Conditions
With thousands of people coming to and from their seats, one of the more common incidents in a stadium is a slip and fall accident. Hundreds of beverages, food items, and other debris can easily lead to a fall down stadium steps or in various aisles. If you have fallen in a stadium, your lawyer can try to prove neglect on the stadium for not providing proper walkways. Evidence will be collected to showcase what caused the accident, approximately how long the debris was there, and the job function of cleaning crews hired by the stadium. All of these factors can help with your settlement case and seeking proper compensation for injuries.
Crowds
Stadiums love to fill to capacity to make the most profits and create an exciting live environment. Overcrowding is another way that injuries can occur. People can get trampled, bumped, or shoved to the ground. If this is the case, not only can the person who caused the accident be liable, but the stadium could be liable too for overcrowding. A personal injury lawyer can look into the fire code for the stadium and maximum occupancy. If that occupancy was overfilled, then the stadium could be held liable for the injury that occurred. Proper crowd control is important, too. Improper lines or barriers inside the stadium can easily create chaos and cause injuries to occur.
Sound Systems & Crowd Noise
The stadium environment is a place that encourages sound and loud noises. High crowd noises and stadium sound systems could lead to hearing issues, especially if you are exposed to them for prolonged periods of time. To help encourage fans, many stadiums use gongs, horns, and large speakers to blast noise through the stands. If you leave a stadium with ringing ears, you could be diagnosed with tinnitus, a ringing or buzzing ear condition that could become permanent. An attorney can look into these noise levels and ways that stadiums encouraged them throughout the event. The stadium could be held liable for your hearing damage, and the noise factors could become an important factor in your case.
Fireworks & Pyrotechnics
Player entrances, touchdown celebrations, and the National Anthem are just a few occasions where fireworks and other pyrotechnics are used during a stadium event. While they can create a nice visual spectacle, the use of them could be related to possible injuries. The flames and blasts from fireworks could be a cause of an injury. The fireworks go off course, they could burn parts of your skin and lead to additional injuries. Heavy use of fireworks could also lead to smoke filling the crowd and causing breathing problems. A lawyer can determine how safe the fireworks were and ways that they caused your injury. If others were injured from the same firework display, it could help bolster your case and add more evidence.
Parking Lot Injuries
Before you even enter the stadium, you could find yourself injured in a parking lot. A lot of stadiums have strict tailgating policies, but when those policies are ignored or not properly monitored, you could get injured in the process. A variety of injuries can occur at a stadium parking lot. This includes slip and fall injuries due to bad conditions, injuries from another car due to overcrowding, or hazardous injuries from people cooking and using open flames in the parking lot. A lawyer will look into the specific tailgating rules and the parking lot security that was present for the event. Evidence like parking lot surveillance cameras can be used to help your settlement case.
As you consult with an attorney, like those at Hornthal Riley Ellis & Maland LLP, it's important to be ready with evidence. This includes your ticket stubs, witness statements, and health records showcasing the extend of your injuries.
Share14 March 2016
My name is Noni. When I was in college, I was hit by a car while crossing the street. My life was never in danger, but I did break a few bones and had a lot of huge medical bills. I was hoping I wouldn't have to get involved with an attorney, but unfortunately, it came down to that. I used a family friend who is an accident attorney to get some compensation. A few years later, I was hit while riding my bike and had to go through the same process. I suppose I'm lucky to be alive. And it's thanks to accident attorneys that I have been able to put my life back together. I started this blog as a way to let others know just how much lawyers can help you in certain situations.