Super Bowl XLV Settlement: Justice for an Injured Stadium Worker
When ice and snow fell from a stadium roof onto a Super Bowl worker, he didn’t take it lying down. He filed a lawsuit and received the recompense he deserved through a Super Bowl XLV settlement.
A seriously injured Super Bowl XLV worker, Severin Sampson, has reached an undisclosed Super Bowl XLV settlement amount with the National Football League (NFL), Dallas Cowboys, and Super Bowl contractor S.A.F.E. Management, according to the Dallas News. The February 2011 Super Bowl XLV took place at AT&T Stadium – then called Cowboys Stadium – in Arlington, Texas. While the settlement amount remains confidential due to an agreement signed by all parties, Sampson confirmed it was roughly the amount he requested.
The Accident That Led to the Super Bowl XLV Settlement
Three days prior to Super Bowl XLV, an avalanche of snow and ice slid off the AT&T Stadium roof, injuring at least six people. Sampson, a sound engineer working on the halftime show set, suffered a fractured skull, making him the most severely injured in the group. One of Sampson’s complaints was a persistent ringing in his ears. An audiologist testified that nerve damage resulted in a ringing at 75 to 100 decibels – roughly the noise level of a leaf blower. Since the incident, Sampson has struggled to find steady work.
Determining Fault in the Super Bowl XLV Settlement
Determining Fault Sampson placed most of the blame on the Cowboys and the NFL, but he argued that AT&T Stadium architect HKS still deserved some of the blame. An architect with HKS testified that AT&T Stadium was indeed built without snow and ice in mind. Its location in Arlington, Texas made ice guards seem unnecessary. The architect stated that the Cowboys did not request such devices in their stadium design. S.A.F.E. Management was in charge of roping off dangerous spots and not allowing employees to walk under areas prone to snow and ice fall.
However, despite the dangers, Sampson reported that he and other employees were permitted to exit through an area that was supposed to be closed off. The jurors believed HKS’s responsibility ended when the Cowboys learned of snow and ice avalanche problems in 2009 – when witnesses first reported seeing the phenomenon – yet did nothing to fix the problem. Features have since been added to prevent a future accident. Based on their fault in the incident, the other remaining involved parties were awarded different levels of blame.
The jury voted 10-2 that the fault could be divvied out as follows: 70 percent to the Cowboys, 25 percent to the NFL and 5 percent to S.A.F.E. Management. When a corporation’s negligence results in personal injury, a liability or injury claim may be in order. Contact Dallas-Fort Worth lawyers Frenkel & Frenkel to schedule a free initial consultation regarding an incident where injuries were been caused by a company’s negligence.