The Daytona 500 is the absolute premier event in stock car racing, the Super Bowl for NASCAR.
Most years the race is a fun and exciting experience for all the NASCAR fans that make the trip to Daytona Beach to attend the race.
In 2013, the race was marred by a minor disaster. The DRIVE4COPD 300 was held a day before the main event. On the final lap of the DRIVE4COPD 300, an attempted pass led to a huge crash that sent one car high and airborne, sending a wave of debris hurtling into the stand, hitting 33 spectators.
14 of those hit had to be taken to hospitals to treat their immediate injuries. There were no deaths, though 2 of the crash’s victims remained in critical condition over a day after the accident before they were upgraded to stable.
It isn’t too hard to imagine other scenarios that involve you getting injured at a sporting event. Drunk fans and testosterone-fueled displays on the field often inspire violence in the stands. There are brawls in the stadium parking lot, hockey pucks that find their way out of the rink and strike spectators in the face.
Of course, there are less dramatic routes to injury. A simple slip and fall is all it takes for thousands upon thousands of dollars in medical bills, not to mention all the potential earnings you lost before you missed work to recover.
Can I get a personal injury settlement if I’m injured at a sporting event?
It depends. As far as the NASCAR example goes, it’s going to be pretty hard to collect any compensation for your hospital stays and ongoing medical expenses stemming from the injury.
That’s because their ticket stubs have fine legal print that makes it so that when a spectator buys a ticket, they accept that they are attending what could be a dangerous event and they waive their right to sue the venue if they’re injured. Most other sports leagues have similar language on their tickets.
What happens if I have a good case?
Again, we want to stress that there is no one size fits all answers to these questions. There’s a different answer for each individual case.
That said, it’s relatively rare that these cases get played out in full in the courtroom. If you have a legitimately good case, and the venue didn’t cover themselves with some small print language on their ticket, then you might be able to get some compensation from a cash settlement.
Hiring an experienced personal injury lawyer is the best way that you can the fairest settlement out of the venue or organization that is responsible for your injury.
When you’re injured, there are a few things you should do immediately in order to build a stronger case for the future. Seek medical attention right away (wait and it will be hard to prove a direct connection between the injury and the venue) and keep all records that detail hospital bills, prescriptions, lost work hours, or other costs that results from the injury.
If you’re injured at a sporting event, you might be due compensation from the venue or organization that was hosting the event. Contact us at (509) 987 – 1777 for more information.
