A football fan’s death from a heart attack suffered while attending an NFL game at Lincoln Financial Field in September 2019 would seem to be an obvious case of natural causes ending a life. The victim’s brother disagrees and accuses stadium officials, the Philadelphia Eagles and National Event Services of wrongful death. The case, that could just as easily happened in New Mexico, illustrates the types of unexpected liabilities faced by property owners, event services providers and others.
Medical malpractice claims filed
The wrongful death accusation says the stadium had too few first-responders and not enough medical equipment to render effective medical assistance to his brother. Instead of receiving medical help from a trained EMT or other first-responder, another spectator at the stadium attempted to save the 38-year-old man. He later died in a local hospital.
Emphasis on emergency medical services
While that case is yet to be decided, the point of contention is the availability of emergency medical services. The brother filing the lawsuit is a doctor and says the event should have had first-responders posted at every tunnel entrance with adequate medical equipment to render emergency aid. He says the lack of resources directly led to his brother’s death from a heart attack.
Facts could determine the outcome
The final outcome of the suit likely will depend at least partly on the number of emergency services personnel and available medical equipment on hand for a crowd of 60,000 NFL fans plus support staff. The victim’s physical condition also will play a large role, especially when suffering a heart attack at the relatively young age of 38.
No matter the size of the venue and number of attendees and workers on hand, a responsibility to enable effective emergency medical services could lead to a potential lawsuit. A law firm experienced in handling medical malpractice and wrongful death claims can help to establish facts and provide the most effective case for the client.
