The woman whose husband suffered a fatal cardiac arrest in the stands during a New England Patriots game is suing the football team, the National Football League, and others for her husband’s Massachusetts wrongful death. Kimberly Chartier claims that her husband, Jeff, went into cardiac distress after an altercation with a security guard at Gillette Stadium.
The plaintiff believes that the guard, Arthur Sherman, behaved inappropriately and had no reason to confront her Jeff, 40, and their son Tedy, 6. She is calling the interactions “antagonistic.”
Chartier contends that the Guard’s behavior and the events involving the interaction are because the other defendants were institutionally negligent and did not properly train or supervise Sherman. The Massachusetts wrongful death case, submitted in Hampden Superior Court, accuses the other defendants of not providing “safe…competent” security at the stadium, not properly coordinating and communicating about security and safety policies, and neglecting to create a safe environment for patrons. She is asking that her husband’s next of kin receive damages for his death, including income, protection, services, assistance, care, society, guidance, companionship, advice, and counsel lost. He also leaves behind their daughter Amber.
Additionally named as wrongful death defendants are Sherman, NPS, which runs Gillette Stadium at Foxborugh where the game was taking place, and security provider TeamOps. The New England Patriots and two other entities own and manage Gillette Stadium.
Massachusetts Premises Liability
Property owners and the managers of venues and large events must make sure that they create a safe venue for patrons. This includes providing adequate security measures for crowd control, crime prevention, and other factors that can arise, as well as properly training and supervising those tasked with this security. When failure to fulfill these responsibilities causes/leads to injury or death, there could be grounds for a Boston premises liability case.
Other reasons someone might file a premises liability lawsuit: wet floors, uneven walkways, inadequate balcony railings, defective sidewalks, poor lighting, failure to warn about hazards or dangerous conditions, failure to remedy these conditions, violent crime injuries, and wrongful death caused by unsafe conditions or situations that could/should have been fixed or prevented.
The wrongful death complaint (PDF)
Kimberly Chartier of Chicopee sues New England Patriots, NFL, in wake of husband’s fatal heart attack in 2010 at Foxborough, MassLive, August 20, 2013
Patriots sued for incident resulting in death of fan, NBC Sports, August 21, 2013
More Blog Posts:
Massachusetts Man and Child Injured After Jet Ski Blows Apart on New Hampshire Lake, Boston Injury Lawyer Blog, August 19, 2013
GranuFlo Lawsuits Seek to Give Patients and Families Compensation Over Dangerous Drug Injuries, Massachusetts Drug Injury Lawyer Blog, August 13, 2013
Provincetown Woman Arrested and Charged with OUI after Head-on Collision on Sagamore Bridge, Boston Car Accident Lawyer Blog, August 5, 2013