Dodgers Fan Beating Lawsuit Could be Millions if Permanent Brain Injuries Provable, According to Attorney Ehline
Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) December 28, 2011
There are many types of brain injuries and causes. Some are more subtle than others. But it typically takes an issue of public concern to bring focus on an issue so serious as head injuries. Michael Ehline of Ehline Law Firm PC, although not representing the victims in the Dodgers case, discusses this event from the perspective of a brain injury lawyer, and sports fan, bringing attention to a most recent issue in the news as a platform to discuss these catastrophic injuries.
According to ESPN, a Giants fan, and his family have filed a lawsuit against the Dodgers (Fn.1)in Los Angeles County Superior Court, in the case of: Stow v. Los Angeles Dodgers, et al. The complaint alleges that after the Giants fan attended a game months before, the victim was brutally beaten in the Dodgers parking lot. The complaint generally alleges that there was an environment at the Stadium that was hostile to visitors supporting the visiting team (See Complaint above, p.2:10-27 et. seq.), and that at some point he was attacked and suffered injuries to the head. (See Complaint above, p.3:14-17. et. seq.)
Attorney Ehline deals with brain injury cases as part of his law practice, has attended Dodgers games, and he relates that cases involving head injuries can often result in settlements and verdicts in the millions of dollars. Although there is no outcome known, or court finding of brain injuries currently, attorney Ehline relates that repeated kicks to the head and comas, as alleged here, are generally accepted to be a cause of brain injuries. Ehline relates that many brain injuries are also caused by truck and bus accidents, and motorcycle crashes, “but this one [if found to be true] came out of left field.” “Normally I hear about these things happening in California bars and night clubs, or at European soccer games, but not at Dodgers Stadium”, said Ehline.
The brain injury attorney at Ehline Law Firm PC, Michael P. Ehline, relates that: “There do appear to be a lot of gang types who wear LA hats and jerseys at these games, who taunt and intimidate people wearing colors of visitors, or cheering the visiting teams. Since I have had kids, we just don’t attend Dodgers games there anymore.” Ehline said.
Stow, who the complaint alleges spent months in the hospital after the beating, that two friends and witnesses viewed, said they heard the sound of his head crack as it hit the pavement during the beating. Stow is now able to speak and write his name according to the LA Times Nov. 2, 2011 edition. The LA Times reported that the victim, who was a paramedic, husband and father, had suffered damage to his frontal lobe that will leave him permanently disabled. As personal injury attorney, Michael Ehline stated, the allegations of permanent injury, if found by a court to be true, would be devastating, since it impacts the person’s ability to make decisions, plan and personality. Ehline said, it is easy to understand how a case like this could be in the millions of dollars.
Attorney Ehline says the damages in brain injury cases can often result in the millions of dollars, because people with brain damage are usually permanently disabled and will never be able to return to work. In this case, the alleged victim was a paramedic. But you could be a bicycle delivery person, or a passenger in a car, says Ehline, you can even suffer a head injury from slipping and falling. One difference here, said Ehline, is that: “the complaint is seeking punitive damages.” Punitive damages are sought against a person who is alleged to have acted in a manner that requires an extraordinary payment be made to the victim beyond ordinary negligence. And that is what makes this case different than many motor vehicle accidents. Typically, a car operator does not purposely crash into someone, requiring him or her to be punished, said Ehline. Here there is an allegation that the victim was attacked on purpose.
Attorney Michael Ehline said that cases involving traumatic brain injury can have an impact on the family and the victim, which in this case should never have occurred if not but for the alleged laxed security, which allegedly created an environment that is hostile to out of town teams and their supporters. Traumatic brain injuries normally occur during a motorcycle, car or pedestrian accident said Ehline, and as a brain injury attorney, he agrees this requires ongoing medical care and a complete change in lifestyle for the brain injury victim and the family if these are established as facts in a court in this case. “Some injuries to the brain can be less subtle. Some can be caused by shaking or jarring of the head. This is especially true among children”, said Ehline. “This means a whiplash case, could also be accompanied by a head injury due to the back and forth movement of the head.”
According to attorney Ehline, litigation for this type of injury can be extremely complex, with more than one negligent party. This is why a victim needs to consult with a personal injury attorney right away, so as preserve the case for a jury by hiring experts, investigators, gathering evidence, working with the police to find culprits, and identifying defendants, etc. For example, here, the Stadium is an obvious defendant, the actual attacker(s) are also potential defendants, and the Stadium could even name third parties who provided security as cross-defendants, Ehline said. But with the mounting medical costs and other financial loss, the injured victims in these types of cases, definitely need an experienced personal injury lawyer to protect their rights to recover compensation.
“The fact is, some head injuries are less obvious. You may notice vertigo, dizziness, lack of sleep, or even too much sleep. These can all be signs of a brain injury if you notice them after a car accident a fall to the ground, being hit, kicked, or punched in the head.” “So the first thing you do after seeing a doctor,” says Ehline, is to contact a lawyer and learn about recovery for past, present and future economic losses, and pain and suffering, and yes, even, in some cases, punitive damages.
Michael Ehline, of Ehline Law Firm PC is an inactive U.S. Marine, author, and tort law specialist who writes about recent events in the news as a tool to help the general public understand their rights as consumers in California cities like Santa Monica, Marina del Rey, Long Beach and San Francisco. He can be reached at: 201 Wilshire Blvd., #2, Santa Monica, CA 90401; or 6700 East Pacific Coast Highway #275 Long Beach, CA 90803 USA +1.562.342.9092.
If you or someone you love suffered a catastrophic injury after being attacked by a bar room bouncer, police, or other assailant, or suffered a head wound from an auto accident, or other mishap, and would like to learn more about your legal rights, you can also contact him at 633 West Fifth Street, 28th Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90071. 213.596.9642. We hope you have enjoyed this news release about the Dodgers Fan case, and other more subtle forms of brain injuries, and welcome you to read our other legal articles and news.
FN.1. http://a.espncdn.com/media/pdf/110525/Stow_lawsuit.pdf
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