Who is Liable for Injuries at Sporting Events or Large Venues?

Attending any crowded event, such as a sporting event or concert, always brings the possible risk of injury. While these events are meant to be enjoyable and fun experiences, being in a large crowd increases the chances of being hurt in an accident caused by the negligence of others. When large crowds are combined with alcohol and other factors, violent acts also become potential threats.

Of course, when attending these events, you hope to never suffer an injury due to another person’s negligent actions. However, if you are hurt and believe someone else is to blame, you may be able to file a claim for compensation against the negligent or careless party. If you are successful with your claim, compensation can help you recover medical expenses, lost income, and more. Before filing a claim, you must determine who is liable for paying damages, and this can become complex. Our Massachusetts personal injury lawyer explains in further detail below.

Common types of accidents at sporting events and large venues

Large crowds, fast-paced action, and different structures and surfaces all pose a number of risks at sports events and other large venues. Some of the most common types of accidents that occur at large venues include the following:

• Slip and fall accidents: Wet bathroom floors, poorly lit stairwells, uneven walkways, and spilled beverages are just a few of the common hazards found in sporting venues. Facility owners should take the necessary care to identify and correct dangerous conditions so guests do not become hurt when attending events. While many people think of slip and falls as minor accidents, they can result in severe injuries.
• Inadequate security or crowd control: Managing a large crowd requires careful planning and coordination. When event organizers do not properly manage the entrances, exits, and crowd movement, it can result in serious injuries. If barriers are not strong enough to hold back crowds or are placed improperly, a large crowd can quickly get out of control. Event organizers must also ensure there is a sufficient number of security staff members and that they can respond to escalating behavior. Otherwise, fights, trampling, and crushing injuries can result.
• Unsafe structures or seating: Property owners must regularly inspect staircases, railings, bleachers, and seats to ensure they are properly maintained and will not cause injuries. If an improperly maintained bleacher or a loose handrail suddenly collapses, the injuries can range from minor to catastrophic.
• Flying objects and on-field incidents: It is true that individuals attending a sports game or other large event face some obvious or inherent risks. For example, spectators at professional baseball games typically understand that a ball may fly into the stands. However, there are limits on obvious or inherent risk arguments. For example, if a facility owner failed to ensure that there was proper netting to protect spectators, they may still be held liable for an accident that results in serious injury.

The above list is not exhaustive, and there are many types of accidents that can occur in these large facilities. Regardless of how you became hurt, it is critical to speak to a Massachusetts personal injury lawyer who can provide the legal advice you need.

Determining liability for injuries at sporting events

Determining liability for injuries sustained at sporting events or in other large venues is a complex matter. Generally speaking, liability in these cases falls on owners or operators of the venue, event organizers, security companies, or third parties. The following entities are responsible for ensuring guests have a safe environment. They all have different duties, and they are as follows:

• Venue owners and operators: Under Massachusetts law, owners and operators of venues have a responsibility to ensure the premises are safe. This means maintaining seating, lighting, stairways, and ensuring that hazards such as spilled liquids are identified and corrected right away. To hold a venue owner or operator liable for your injuries, you must show that they were negligent. This requires you to show that the owner or operator knew, or should have known, of the hazard and failed to repair it or warn guests. Owners may also be responsible if they failed to provide security staff members or other security measures that could prevent violent acts from occurring.
• Event organizers and promoters: Event organizers and promoters can be held liable if they fail to provide proper security, crowd management, or safety protocols.
• Security companies: Security companies also have a responsibility to perform their duties properly. If they failed to prevent a known threat or allowed an assault to occur, it can result in injury. When this is the case, security companies can be held liable.
• Third-party vendors: There are many third-party vendors at large venues, and they can also be held liable for injuries. For example, if a food vendor spilled hot oil on a guest or failed to adhere to food safety practices and someone became sick, they may be held liable for failing to act in a reasonable manner.

Determining liability for injuries suffered in large venues is not easy. Our Massachusetts personal injury lawyers can conduct an investigation to determine who is to blame for your injuries.

Defenses used by venues

Regardless of the party liable for your injuries, they will use many defenses to shield themselves from liability. One of these is the argument that the injury resulted from an obvious or inherent risk of the event, which, as stated above, does have several limitations. Although spectators may face some obvious risks, this does not protect venue owners and others from liability for unrelated negligent conduct.

Sporting and concert tickets may also have fine print that attempts to limit spectators’ right to sue the facility or event organizer. As with obvious-risk arguments, there are limitations on these waivers, and they generally do not protect parties from gross negligence, reckless, or intentional conduct.

Lastly, venue owners and other liable parties may also try to shift the blame to you. Under Massachusetts’ comparative fault law, this can reduce the total damages you receive if the liable party is successful with the argument. Even if you were partly to blame for the accident, it does not necessarily bar you from recovering compensation if your degree of fault is not greater than that of the liable party or parties.

Our personal injury lawyers in Massachusetts can determine liability

At Santoro & Gray, our Massachusetts personal injury lawyers can determine who is liable for your injuries, collect evidence to support your case, and defend against claims that you were partly to blame. Call us today or contact us online to schedule a consultation with one of our experienced attorneys and to learn more about your legal options.