Injuries at stadiums and sports venues are all too common and tend to fall into two categories. There are standard slip and fall claims, and injuries caused by foul balls, errant bats and other flying objects. When a spectator is seriously injured because of a slippery floor or unsafe condition at a public sporting venue, who is liable? Is the stadium owner or manager on the hook for legal damages?
If you or a loved one is injured at a sports venue in Southern California due to a dangerous condition or property defect, a Los Angeles slip and fall lawyer from Salamati Law can protect your rights. Under theories of premises liability, victims have a right to recover compensation after a slip and fall injury at a stadium if the venue’s owner or manager breached their duty of care.
Leveraging over 20 years of experience, Sean Salamati is a trusted Los Angeles stadium slip and fall lawyer who can explain your rights to compensation after an unsafe condition or defect causes injury.
Slip and fall accidents at stadiums
To prevail in a Los Angeles stadium injury lawsuit, victims must be able to demonstrate that the property owner was negligent. Whether filing a claim against Dodgers Stadium‚ Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, or the newly-opened SoFi Stadium, plaintiffs must prove the following elements:
- The sports venue or stadium owner owed you a duty of care (i.e., trespassers would not be able to sue)
- The owner knew or should have known about a hazard on the premises but failed to correct it within a reasonable amount of time, or failed to warn visitors about the danger
- The owner’s negligence contributed to your injuries
- You have sustained economic damages from the accident, including medical bills, lost wages, and other financial losses
Negligence in a stadium premises liability claim
In any premises liability lawsuit, the onus is on the plaintiff and their personal injury lawyer to show that the venue owner was negligent and that their actions or omissions resulted in injury. Whether you’re taking in a baseball or football game, there are many situations where the owner or manager of the stadium may be legally liable for serious bodily harm.
All game spectators are owed a special duty of care. Managers of sports venues are expected to carry out routine inspections to identify and correct any conditions or defects that pose a risk of injury. Potential hazards like broken seats, poor lighting, missing handrails, and flooded floors must be remedied promptly. If a leaking pipe isn’t fixed within hours or days, and the water floods a bathroom causing you to injure yourself after slipping and falling, litigation is likely warranted.
Dodger Stadium accidents raise safety concerns
According to a Bloomberg report, some 1,750 fans are injured by foul balls each year, and many of these incidents have been catastrophic. In 2008, a woman’s jaw was fractured in two places when a bat went flying in Dodger Stadium. In 2018, a long-time Dodgers fan, Linda Goldbloom, was struck in the head by a foul ball while sitting in the stadium’s loge level. The 79-year old woman was taken to the hospital, where she succumbed to her injuries four days later. The Los Angeles coroner’s report stated she died from acute intracranial hemorrhage due to the blunt force trauma.
Do stadiums and baseball parks in California have enough protective netting? Historically, Major League Baseball has relied on the decades-old ‘Baseball Rule’ to avoid liability in personal injury claims. According to this doctrine, fans and spectators assume the risk of being injured by thrown bats, foul balls, and other errant objects.
Courts around the nation have returned mixed verdicts in cases brought by injured spectators. In some cases, like that of Mrs. Goldbloom, families of victims have reached confidential settlements with sports teams.
Suing for compensation over serious injuries
If you fall and sustain injuries in a SoFi Stadium accident, your attorney must prove that the owner had a reasonable chance to remedy the hazard or put up a “Wet Floor” or “Caution” sign, but failed to do so. At Salamati Law, our team has handled hundreds of serious injury cases arising from dangerous property conditions. We are tenacious, compassionate, and work diligently for the clients we represent.
Let us fight for the money damages you deserve after suffering injury through no fault of your own. Recover compensation for injuries such as:
- Broken bones
- Spinal cord injury
- Hip fractures
- Wrist Fractures
- Ankle Fractures
- Knee and back injury
- Traumatic brain injury
- Sprains and contusions
Contact us for a free consultation
Stadium accidents can result in life-long injuries, and when negligence is a factor, victims deserve to be fairly compensated. If you or someone you love were harmed in a Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum accident, or at another sports venue, Salamati Law welcomes the opportunity to answer your questions. The initial consultation is complimentary, so there is no risk to consult with a skilled Los Angeles slip and fall lawyer from Salamati Law about the merits of your case.
