The football season is well underway. And people in Texas love their football. Whether you’re a Cowboys or Texans fan, there’s no better way to spend a Sunday than tailgating for your favorite team. If you’re lucky enough to go to an NFL game, you’re lucky enough! But sometimes, a day of tailgating and rooting for your team can end in disaster. Hundreds of people are hurt at a football game every year. From falls to fistfights, just about anything can happen on any given Sunday.
The problem is, if you get hurt at a football game, odds are, you’ll have a hard time getting any compensation. Football stadiums are very careful when it comes to protecting themselves. They either pass on the costs to their management company or tell you that you’re out of luck.
If you get hurt at a football game, you need to contact an experienced personal injury lawyer. They’ll do their best to work around the limitations imposed by professional football stadiums.
What Kinds of Injuries are Sustained at NFL Games?
If you’ve ever been to an NFL game, you know how rough they can be. People drink a little more than they should. People get fired up – whether their team is winning or losing. Fans from opposing teams start a ruckus. There’s no telling what can happen.
If you get caught in the middle of all this, you’re bound to get hurt. Maybe someone throws a bottle and it hits you in the head. Or, you get caught up in a physical altercation. You could end up with facial lacerations or even a traumatic brain injury..
The other thing that can happen at a football game is that you fall and get hurt. You could get pushed down the stairs and break your beck. Or, a crowd is running through the stands and knocks you down. You’re liable to break a few teeth or worse.
Can’t You Just Sue the Stadium?
A lot of people wonder why you can’t just sue the stadium for your injuries. You should be able to file a claim against their insurance company. If you get hurt on their property, why shouldn’t they have to pay for your injuries>
This is because stadium owners are smart. They know that when you cram 50,000, drinking football fans into one space, people are going to get hurt. They don’t want to be on the hook for these injuries.
This is why they post signs all over the stadium letting you know they’re not responsible for your injuries. This is also why there are disclaimers on the game tickets reminding you of this fact. Now, in reality, these disclaimers don’t really hold any water. But a lot of people don’t realize that.
Your Houston Personal Injury Lawyer Can Discuss Your Options?
Although the stadium will say that you assumed the risk, there are still ways you can recover for your injuries. If a third party is responsible for your injuries, you can sue them. Or, if you can prove stadium management staff was negligent, you may still be able to recover.
In order to prove that management was negligent, your Houston injury lawyer will need to show the following:
- The stadium staff had a duty to protect you
- They failed to do this
- You were injured
- Your injuries were caused by their breach
It’s not hard to show that they owed you a duty of care. Of course, if a company is going to allow thousands of people to visit their stadium, they owe them a duty of care. And, as long as you go to the hospital, you shouldn’t have a hard time proving you were injured. What it will come down to is proving that they breached their duty of care.
Some common examples of when stadium management breaches their duty of care includes:
- Security fails to break up a fight
- The men working the gate let someone in who’s hiding glass bottles, a knife or some other weapon
- Facilities management doesn’t keep the walkways safe
Contact a Personal Injury Attorney If You Get Hurt at a Football Game
If you get hurt at a Houston Texans game, you should call an experienced injury law firm in Houston. They can review your case and let you know if you have a valid claim. They can also let you know what your case may be worth.
Call McDonald Worley and schedule your free initial consultation today.