Maison Law of California represents people who have been injured in accidents in public places like concerts and shows. Theater and arena owners and operators are responsible for your safety when you see a show. They can be held liable for every recovery cost if you are hurt. Contact our Concert Injury Lawyers for a free and confidential consultation to find out what your case is worth and how to hold insurance companies fully accountable.
Do I Need a Lawyer After an Injury at a Concert?
If you suffer a serious injury at a show and the accident is the fault of the theater owners and operators, you should speak to a California Event Accident Lawyer about your case.
An amphitheater and its sponsors will have the money to hire corporate lawyers to try to get you to give up on expecting help with your expensive medical bills and your lost time at work. Those lawyers will attempt to blame your accident on clumsiness or try to dispute how bad your injury is.
Your Maison Law representative fights back by investigating what happened and presenting powerful evidence that shows who caused the injury. Your lawyer then demands full support for as long as necessary to get you back on your feet again.
Injury Hazards at Concerts and Musicals
People across California purchase tickets to enjoy concerts and off-Broadway shows at California concert halls and performing art centers. Seeing a musical or enjoying a graduation ceremony at these venues can be a highlight of the year, but these large arenas also hold many injury dangers.
Event planners and arena operators are bound by California law to provide a safe visit to every ticketholder. They have to show a “duty of care” to keep ticketholders away from slip-and-fall hazards, overcrowding dangers, and other risks. When they fail in this duty, the victims of accidents and injuries are empowered to seek compensation for their recovery costs. This includes money for all hospital bills and lost income at work.
Owners and operators of theaters and amphitheaters must not leave out obstacles that could hurt concertgoers. This mandate applies to giant venues like Crypto.com Arena in L.A. and places like the Selland Arena in Fresno and Buck Owens’ Crystal Palace in Bakersfield. Managers and employees must also monitor for the hazards other guests create and remove the dangers in a reasonable amount of time.
These and other types of accidents could leave arena owners and even the city that operates a concert venue liable for any injuries you suffer.
- Fall Hazards in the Arena – The path to your seat may include steep inclines, puddles from rain, and even spilled candy. Employees must act to take care of these hazards and put out signs after they’ve been mopped up. Poor lighting may leave people unable to see where they are stepping leading to a devastating fall.
- Bathroom Floor Dangers – Bathrooms are busy places before, during, and after shows. Floors get very slick with the slightest amount of water on them. Soap only makes walking to a sink that much more dangerous. Leaking toilets and unmopped surfaces can cause a devastating fall.
- Dangers Created by Crowds – Quickly building crowds are another hazard that arena operators are supposed to have planned for and protect ticketholders from. People can get knocked over, have their feet trampled, and suffer even worse when too many people are on the move. Other guests may be allowed to leave their seats to crowd the stage, creating the risk of crush injuries and suffocation. Event planners invite thousands of people in to make as much money as possible. They also owe ticketholders protection from these risks.
- Pedestrian Accidents and Parking Decks: We all become pedestrians when we park and get out of our cars. As people head into shows they must be protected from traffic as they cross streets. Arenas must provide traffic control. Parking lots should be free of potholes that can trip people. Parking decks should have safe stairwells that aren’t crumbling and that don’t feature loose handrails. If you are injured in a city parking deck, you may be able to hold the city that operates a venue fully responsible.
- Negligent Security – Venues are also responsible for your safe arrival at events. They must provide proper lighting to deter criminal acts. Concert promoters could be liable if you suffer an assault inside or outside the arena. They must also warn ticketholders when there’s an increased chance of crime in the area around a concert event.
- Other Hazards – Victims might come into contact with exposed wiring. They might have something fall on them from above the concert hall. A metal section of a seat may be sharp and cause a deep cut. These dangers should be the full responsibility of the concert venue.
If you suffer a serious injury at the arena, you might suffer a broken bone, a head injury, or neck or back damage. These injuries can linger well beyond one visit to an emergency room. Patients may need surgeries months or years later and might require long-term physical therapy. A skilled Maison Law attorney makes sure these possibilities are covered in any settlement agreement. Otherwise, victims might be stuck paying medical bills that arise years after an injury claim has been closed.
Can I Ask for Injury Compensation If I Signed a Waiver of Liability?
Yes. Waiver forms are meant to protect concert hall owners from being sued over the dangers expected to come along with events that bring a lot of people together in one place. But when theater owners create hazards that go beyond those normal risks, they can be held responsible.
You sign a liability waiver form when you purchase any concert ticket. It’s included as you agree to “terms and conditions.” They don’t make it very clear what you are agreeing to, and those waivers don’t mean theater operators are blameless in every situation.
Your lawyer would collect evidence showing that an accident caused by the theater’s mistakes went well above the common hazards associated with public events. Your personal injury lawyer would be demanding full compensation despite any liability waiver you unknowingly signed.
What Is My Concert Injury Claim Worth?
It will be difficult for your lawyer to give you an accurate estimate of what your case is worth before being able to get details from you and investigate your accident. The severity of your injury and how long recovery will take play a big role in how much you’ll be able to demand. Every injury is different and every person heals at their own pace.
After an accident, you’ll help your attorney create a full list of the hardships that you and your family have endured. These damages will have to be totaled and be backed with receipts, medical charts, and expert testimony.
There are several other factors that will be considered when negotiating over the size of your concert injury settlement check:
- Hospital and medical expenses now and any expected in the future.
- Costs associated with a permanent physical disability such as medical equipment and renovations at home and at work. Potential costs for education to learn a new career.
- Emotional and physical distress. The physical pain you experience and the anxiety and depression that may follow a traumatic incident.
- Loss of enjoyment of life.
- Travel expenses. Money spent getting to appointments and seeing specialists that may be far away. This could be a great expense while you are on crutches or in a wheelchair.
- Income and benefits you’ve forfeited while missing work.
- Damage to personal items.
- Wrongful death benefits. Families who lose a loved one in a tragic concert or stadium accident must seek support through a wrongful death claim. The at-fault owners and operators would be asked to pay burial expenses and any medical costs left behind. Your California wrongful death attorney would also seek support for the future, when a family will be without the guidance and financial support the victim would have continued to provide.
What Insurance Tactics Should I Look Out For After an Injury at an Event?
These are a few of the tactics insurance companies could use to stall or avoid paying you compensation:
- Slow Response: Liability insurers for concert venues can purposely delay responding to your injury claim. They know you’ll be receiving more and more medical bills and perhaps getting behind on things like credit card bills and the rent. They hope to make you nervous about your financial stability. Once you are good and desperate they can roll out their next tactic.
- Lowball Settlement Offer: Insurers then extend an offer that contains a lot less in support than you need to rebuild your life. Insurance agents hope that you don’t know how much your injury is worth and how much any future care required may cost you. If you don’t have a Maison Law representative on your side, you might not know that it’s a lowball offer. You could sign away your chance of getting every medical bill covered by someone other than yourself.
- Blame the Victim: Insurers like to find ways to blame victims for their accidents. They may claim that you were clumsy and that’s why you got hurt. They could suggest that your shoes were old and had no traction, and that’s why you fell. Adjusters may even try to twist any statements you’ve given them to make it appear you admitted fault. Don’t make any recorded statements if you are asked to. The evidence your lawyer collects will be the best defense against these weak arguments.
- Downplaying your Injuries: A common play used by insurers is to question how serious your injuries actually are. They do this to get away with offering you less than you’ll need to heal fully.
- Won’t Mention an Attorney: Insurance adjusters will avoid mentioning that you have the right to seek a personal injury lawyer. In fact, if they know you don’t have one, insurers may rush out a lowball settlement offer to you. They hope you’ll sign off before you consider calling Maison Law. They know that once you sign the dotted line, you can’t return later to ask for more. Any medical care you end up needing in the future would have to be covered out of your own pocket.
Your California Concert Accident Lawyer is your defense against these common insurance strategies. Your lawyer handles all of the communication and negotiations with insurance providers so you can avoid frustration and use the time to heal.
Frequently Asked Questions
What if I can’t afford to pay a lawyer?
If you feel Maison Law can secure more in compensation for you, you won’t need any upfront money to hire us. We don’t get paid unless we win your case for you. Then our fee comes out of the money theater insurers are forced to provide.
How long do I have to file a Theater or Arena accident claim?
Victims and their families have up to two years to file a claim after an accident and injury. Act as soon as you can though. If you wait, evidence can be harder to secure and witnesses can be harder to find.
Will I have to go to court to earn support for my injury?
Not usually. A large majority of personal injury cases are settled out of court. Insurance companies and concert owners want to avoid the cost and embarrassment of a trial. When they are facing a lawsuit, they can quickly work to give victims a settlement check that fully covers every injury hardship.
Contact a California Event Accident Lawyer
After a serious injury suffered during a concert or show, please rely on an experienced California personal injury lawyer to handle your case and protect what’s important to you.
Take advantage of a free case consultation with Maison Law. This case evaluation comes with no obligation to you or your family. It’s a no-risk way to find out what you should be demanding from a negligent theater owner and operator after a painful injury.
Additional Resources for Accidents at:
