The widow of a man who fell to his death at Mile High Stadium in Denver, Colorado, recently filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the stadium district and several entities claiming the defendants created unsafe conditions at the stadium, leading to the victim’s passing. The claim seeks compensation for the deceased’s lost wages and damages for the family’s pain and suffering of losing their husband and father.
The accident took place on October 24, 2016, as the victim exited the stadium at the end of a Denver Broncos game. According to media reports, the victim lost his balance and fell from the fire-escape stairs, dropping 60 feet through an open stairwell to his death. The victim is survived by his wife and five children, then ages 11 months to 6 years.
The wrongful death lawsuit alleges the stairwell did not have uniform railings and created an unreasonable risk to patrons using the structure. The lawsuit claims the stairwell as “contained a defective, unsafe, non-obvious and dangerous condition,” which the defendants failed to recognize would create an “inherent risk of serious injury or death to patrons.”
According to ABC7 Denver, other serious injuries have occurred at the stadium in recent years, including another fall in September 2015 when an intoxicated fan fell several stores between two stairwell landings. In August 2013, a fan fell down an escalator during a Broncos preseason game.
While nothing can bring back the ones we love after a tragic accident, our civil justice system gives surviving family members legal remedy to hold wrongdoers accountable for their careless actions. Furthermore, the law gives plaintiffs the right to recover compensation for the financial support from the victim that family members relied on.
Although The Cochran Firm, DC is not representing any of the parties in this particular case, our personal injury lawyers in Washington, DC, frequently represent the legal interests of those who have lost a loved one. While we expect wrongdoers to accept responsibility for the harm they have caused, many negligent parties instead choose to deny liability while victims struggle to make ends meet.
Depending on the jurisdiction where the fatality occurred, surviving family members may be able to recover compensation for damages. In some states, family members can bring survivor action claims on behalf of the deceased to recover for the victim’s own lost wages and the pain and suffering he or she experienced prior to passing away. Other jurisdictions allow families to file claims for their own emotion loss, as well as the financial, emotional, and domestic support they relied on from the victim.
If your family suffered the tragic loss of a loved one, contact The Cochran Firm to speak to one of our personal injury lawyers in Washington, DC, about your case. Our attorneys seek to represent clients with dignity and respect during their difficult times. While our lawyers handle your case, your family can focus on healing and honoring the memory of your loved one.
