Confidential Recovery for Fan Seriously Injured at Blackhawks Hockey Game
Beloit, Wisconsin – 10/2002
In October 2002, a mediator awarded a confidential settlement for a 32-year-old wife and mother of two children, for injuries she suffered while a fan at a Chicago Blackhawks hockey game.
Elizabeth Hahn, through her attorneys, Whiting Law Group, filed a lawsuit against the National Hockey League, Chicago Blackhawks and United Center for sustaining a traumatic brain injury when struck by an errant hockey puck at a game in January 2002.
In one of the most high-profile cases of the year in Chicago, Timothy M. Whiting and Whiting Law Group pursued the NHL and Blackhawks in intense litigation best described as “David vs. Goliath.” After months of extensive discovery and motions, Timothy M. Whiting and Whiting Law Group established the first ever nexus of the control the NHL has over a hockey stadium, such as the United Center, resulting in a major victory for fans nationwide and, more importantly, Mrs. Hahn.
After relentless investigation, Mr. Whiting and a handful of experts demonstrated that the NHL was aware of the propensity for hockey pucks to fly into the “danger zones” (those areas behind the netting) at speeds of up to 100 miles per hour on a frequent basis. Consequently, Whiting Law Group proved that the NHL was negligent for not creating alternative means to protect fans, such as Elizabeth Hahn who was seated directly behind the goal when hit by the hockey puck.
Although the settlement was confidential, it is believed to be one of the first-ever cases to establish a link between the NHL and fans injured at individual team-owned facilities nationwide. Moreover, immediately after the settlement, protective nets were installed in every NHL-run hockey facility.
The firm has also won numerous cases that were either settled or tried before a jury and resulted in hundreds of thousands of dollars in recovery for the firm's clients over the past seven years.
For a free consultation about your case, contact us toll-free at 877.936.7200, or e-mail us at twhiting@wlglaw.net.
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