Flying objects at hockey games are part of the hazard of the game. They warn you as much when you walk in and do so when looking at the back of your ticket as well. They added protective netting at the end of the ice after a Columbus Blue Jackets’ fan died from being struck with a puck. A lot is already in place to protect fans.
Although that may be the case, it doesn’t prevent the possibility of litigation.
A Tampa Bay Lightning fan who was struck by a puck is gaining the services of a lawyer after being hit in the face during the Lightning-Devils series.
Sabrina Pattie was at Game 2 of the series against the New Jersey Devils with her husband and two young children when a puck flew over the glass and struck her.
The family was sitting on the first level, just to the end of the protective netting, attorney Loren Pincus said.
Pattie’s attorney reached out to 10News and tells us she was taken from the arena to Tampa General Hospital. The Lightning has not offered a phone call to check on her condition, according to the attorney.
10News reached out to the Lightning for a response. A spokesperson for the organization said it typically reaches out to fans who’ve gotten injured on the first business day after the game. The Lightning plan to reach out to her Monday, he said.
It is an odd suit to bring up considering the nature of the event itself and the protections they have put in place. To be entirely fair, the injuries that were suffered left quite a mark. Pattie posted multiple times on Facebook showing off her fandom, but now those posts have been removed or made private. It will be an uphill battle for Pattie but won’t be completely unprecedented.
