Spectator loses eyesight at Ryder Cup

[CaseyD]

Another quick reference is the lady who was killed at a Detroit redwings game years back. Now every hockey arena has nets up that wrap behind the goalie. And I believe in the early 90s is when the raised the glass height around the entire rink due to pucks hitting fans. 

[Chris223]

26 minutes ago, nevets88 said:

Googled "fan loses sight hit baseball -koepka" out of curiosity and got this, a baseball fan was blinded in one eye as well, but by foul ball while sitting along first base line. 

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/ct-met-cubs-lawsuit-20180307-story.html#

When someone is punching out of the woods and I see those people lined up so close to intended trajectory, that scares me.

Yea I agree there.  A lot of times their play is to even hit the ball OVER the gallery and not just down the gap they created and lined up both sides over.  I don’t think I’d ever want to stand there... these guys are good but not immune to hitting a skull or downright awful shot

6 minutes ago, CaseyD said:

Another quick reference is the lady who was killed at a Detroit redwings game years back. Now every hockey arena has nets up that wrap behind the goalie. And I believe in the early 90s is when the raised the glass height around the entire rink due to pucks hitting fans. 

It was in Columbus, 2002, and it was a 13 year old girl.  But like you said, it takes a serious accident for something to be done.  Baseball even has a lot more netting than it ever used to.

[iacas]

1 hour ago, RussUK said:

Breaking an ankle is not in the same league as permanent loss of sight in an eye, and while i can appreciate your point i think that due the severity of her injury the organisers will probably do something, like i said previously, out of goodwill.

But also in repsonse to your post yes, i think if someone did trip over a tv cable at a tournament or fell down a hill and that trip or fall was avoidable, such as a cable not being safely secured in accordance with health and safety regs then yes, compensation could be expected. Like the saying goes "Where there's blame theres a claim"

They in fact shouldn’t do anything because it sets a precedent.

Abd despite claiming you got my point you didn’t demonstrate that you did. If one person sues and wins, who are you to say where it stops? Who is anyone?

What if the broken ankle was a professional football player’s or a ballerina’s?

Nice straw man on the “not being safely secured in accordance with health and safety regs” bit.

16 minutes ago, CaseyD said:

She will sue and she will win.

I hope not. And if she does sue she probably won’t win.

[NM Golf]

3 minutes ago, CaseyD said:

She will sue and she will win. It will all come down to what did the organizers do to help prevent this?  Not that it’s right or fair but that’s the reality. It would be the same as having a mine field and telling someone if you step on one it’s your fault. Were there signs out saying balls could land here?  Were there signs out showing how to cover up if you hear someone yell fore?  I do safety for a living and that’s what this will come down to. There’s a good chance this could change the viewing at future tourneys. You will see areas with signs, you may even see areas roped off that don’t allow spectators to stand in any more, ie common landing areas in driver distance. Someone will do a study on ball speed and areas with certain clubs could become no go zones.  A waiver on the back of a ticket or “common sense” isn’t gonna work on this. What did you do to prevent this is what will be asked. Someone brought up the TV cables, any where that is “pedestrian traffic” will have the yellow cable bridges with a sign that says watch your step. There are no similar signs out lining the fairways, that will soon change 

Spoken like a true Californian.  Sorry

Actually you'll find that the courts tend to find in favor of the league or organization.

Quote

In sum, when spectators attend professional sporting events, they assume the risks of the inherent dangers of the event, including pucks, balls, bats or tires and other objects inherent to the game which may come off the playing field and cause bodily injury of even death, unless the venue owner/operator severely deviates from their duty of care.

https://www.law.du.edu/documents/sports-and-entertainment-law-journal/issues/05/05-Augustine.pdf

[GolfLug]

Truly unfortunate. Can only imagine challenges that lay ahead of this lady. Having said that I echo posts here that it is would be ridiculous to hold the organization accountable. The lady shouldn't sue - I don't see a favourable outcome for her. 

Edited October 2, 2018 by GolfLug

[CaseyD]

16 minutes ago, NM Golf said:

Spoken like a true Californian.  Sorry

 

Easy big dawg I’m not that kind of Californian. I’m a “behind enemy lines” Californian. Look up the country song “other California”. That’s me. I hate this state(or what it’s come to be) just can’t uproot my family like I would like to. 😤😂

[p1n9183]

Really bad news. I agree with the ones that say that she knew she was in risk just attending at the tournament, and have no rigth to claime.
I understand also the claim she is doing, she suffered an important lost and at least she will try to gain some money out of it. 

I don´t think she deserves to be paid, maybe PGA can agreed with her in good will and let her attend any PGA Tournament for free because of the permanent injury she sufferd (and add a helmet in the combo :P).

[NM Golf]

2 hours ago, CaseyD said:

It will all come down to what did the organizers do to help prevent this? 

It's a golf tournament what are they supposed to do, put up nets?

2 hours ago, CaseyD said:

It would be the same as having a mine field and telling someone if you step on one it’s your fault. 

Thats a pretty poor example. It's more like suing the ocean for getting attacked by a shark. No sharks on land, don't go into the water!

2 hours ago, CaseyD said:

 Were there signs out saying balls could land here?  Were there signs out showing how to cover up if you hear someone yell fore?  

It's a golf tournament, balls could land anywhere. If you are at a golf tournament you should know that. And I do believe the last tournament I went to did have a sign that said something to the fact of Beware of flying golf balls. 

A sign showing how to cover up when you hear fore, are you kidding me? How stupid you must believe people to be.

2 hours ago, CaseyD said:

 There’s a good chance this could change the viewing at future tourneys. You will see areas with signs, you may even see areas roped off that don’t allow spectators to stand in any more, ie common landing areas in driver distance. Someone will do a study on ball speed and areas with certain clubs could become no go zones.  

I sure hope not, that would not only be a shame it would be ridiculous. So cordon off the right and left side of the fairways from the 225 yard mark (could be hitting an iron off the tee) to 375 yard mark (Rory and DJ may have the wind at their back)? Don't forget about next to the green as well can't have anyone there. Everyone better bring their binoculars. That would make golf fun to watch. 

2 hours ago, CaseyD said:

A waiver on the back of a ticket or “common sense” isn’t gonna work on this. 

I sure hope it does

2 hours ago, CaseyD said:

. There are no similar signs out lining the fairways, that will soon change 

Pretty sure there are ropes outlining the fairways.

1 hour ago, CaseyD said:

Easy big dawg I’m not that kind of Californian. I’m a “behind enemy lines” Californian. Look up the country song “other California”. That’s me. I hate this state(or what it’s come to be) just can’t uproot my family like I would like to. 😤😂

Well you kinda sound like one. (see above) Basically in your world we all have to be saved from ourselves. It's like the box of rat poison that has a warning "Do not eat". If I go to a golf event I can only stand and watch from the tee box, because if I am next to the fairway or by the green I may get hit. That's just ridiculous.

I am at a golf tournament, I take the inherent risk that I may catch one in the head. If I want to remove that risk I should not go to a golf tournament. 

[Lihu]

9 minutes ago, NM Golf said:

It's a golf tournament what are they supposed to do, put up nets?

Uhg, just what this sport needs 🤪

[CaseyD]

Just watching the presser from the day the accident happened, I think her attorney will jump on Brooks statement. Saying “we hit people way too much”, “it happens every week”, and “yelling fore doesn’t matter”.  The attorney will use those statements to show that pga isn’t doing anything to prevent these accidents. 

Again im not on anyone’s side. I do believe that people should know what’s going on around them. But as the saying goes common sense ain’t so common. 

 

We(people into golf) know hey we are kinda in the hot zone right here pay attention. That’s kinda loss prevention 101, make people aware. 

[Patch]

8 minutes ago, CaseyD said:

Just watching the presser from the day the accident happened, I think her attorney will jump on Brooks statement. Saying “we hit people way too much”, “it happens every week”, and “yelling fore doesn’t matter”.  The attorney will use those statements to show that pga isn’t doing anything to prevent these accidents. 

Again im not on anyone’s side. I do believe that people should know what’s going on around them. But as the saying goes common sense ain’t so common. 

 

We(people into golf) know hey we are kinda in the hot zone right here pay attention. That’s kinda loss prevention 101, make people aware. 

Perhaps the riuling bodies would do well to move the ropes back a few yards, or keep spectators from standing in those landing "hot" zones. I say this based on Brook's statement that it "happens every week".  

[Groucho Valentine]

Some courses I've played or been members at had insurance for when a player hits errant ball that damages property or person. Would assume a place like LE GOLF NATIONAL would have similar policy. I don't think this lady can sue Koepka for damages directly. But I'm not really up to date on my French Tort...

[rehmwa]

49 minutes ago, NM Golf said:

A sign showing how to cover up when you hear fore, are you kidding me? How stupid you must believe people to be.

There are really stupid people out there.  AND, watch a tournament, there are probably a quarter of these slugs that couldn't dodge a zamboni.....or even lift their hands above their heads in the first place......

It's exasperating enough to see a ball bounding down a fairway and Soccer Mom can't get his fatness off of her foldout chair quick enough to let it roll by.....

Edited October 2, 2018 by rehmwa

[HJJ003]

3 minutes ago, rehmwa said:

There are really stupid people out there.  AND, watch a tournament, there are probably a quarter of these slugs that couldn't dodge a zamboni.....or even lift their hands above their heads in the first place......

It's exasperating enough to see a ball bounding down a fairway and Soccer Mom can't get his fatness off of her foldout chair quick enough to let it roll by.....

What the heck was she doing sitting in a lawn chair on the fairway to begin with!!???

[weekend hacker1]

2 hours ago, NM Golf said:

Spoken like a true Californian.  Sorry

Actually you'll find that the courts tend to find in favor of the league or organization.

https://www.law.du.edu/documents/sports-and-entertainment-law-journal/issues/05/05-Augustine.pdf

Speaking as a lawyer in the UK it would seem unlikely that she would win her case. But, does anyone know anything about French law on here? Doubt it.

29 minutes ago, Groucho Valentine said:

Some courses I've played or been members at had insurance for when a player hits errant ball that damages property or person. Would assume a place like LE GOLF NATIONAL would have similar policy. I don't think this lady can sue Koepka for damages directly. But I'm not really up to date on my French Tort...

It's Le Torte Francais…

Sorry. I'll get my coat.

[rehmwa]

9 minutes ago, weekend hacker1 said:

It's Le Torte

now there is one other thing I refuse to say in addition to "Le Golf"

[iacas]

1 hour ago, CaseyD said:

Just watching the presser from the day the accident happened, I think her attorney will jump on Brooks statement. Saying “we hit people way too much”, “it happens every week”, and “yelling fore doesn’t matter”.  The attorney will use those statements to show that pga isn’t doing anything to prevent these accidents.

Yes they are. They have ropes. They have signs. They’re doing a lot. People continue to assume the risks.

Your long post was deleted as it was badly malformed. I can forward the content to you if you’d like to repost properly, @CaseyD.

[3jacker]

There is nothing frivolous about her situation and her decision as to what she will do going forward.  The results are far more dire for her than for the respective PGAs involved, or the venue.

Regardless of what the PGAs legal obligations are, there is a huge difference in what one must do, legally, and what one should do.

I have no doubt they'll do the right thing.  Thus far, she hasn't been over the top with threats and greed.  Cut her some slack.  It's her eye, not yours, and neither is it your pocketbook.