Fan sues Royals after being hit in eye by flying hot dog
Mascot's foil-wrapped weiner toss into the stands is all part of the experience, argue Kansas City
If it had been a foul ball or broken bat that struck John Coomer in the eye as he watched a Kansas City Royals game, the courts likely wouldn’t force the team to pay for his surgeries and suffering.
But because it was a hot dog thrown by the team mascot – behind the back, no less – he just may have a case.
The Missouri Supreme Court is weighing whether the “baseball rule” – a legal standard that protects teams from being sued over fan injuries caused by events on the field, court or rink – should also apply to injuries caused by mascots or the other personnel that teams employ to engage fans. Because the case could set a legal precedent, it could change how teams in other cities and sports approach interacting with fans at their games.
Coomer, of Overland Park, Kansas, says he was injured at a September 2009 Royals game when the team’s lion mascot, Sluggerrr, threw a 4-ounce, foil-wrapped wiener into the stands that struck his eye. He had to have two surgeries – one to repair a detached retina and the other to remove a cataract that developed and implant an artificial lens. Coomer’s vision is worse now than before he was hurt and he has paid roughly US$4,800 in medical costs, said his attorney, Robert Tormohlen.
Coomer, 53, declined to discuss the case. His lawsuit seeks an award of “over US$20,000” from the team, but the actual amount he is seeking is likely much greater. Tormohlen declined to discuss the actual amount.
The Jackson County jurors who first heard the case two years ago sided with the Royals, saying Coomer was completely at fault for his injury because he wasn’t aware of what was going on around him. An appeals court overturned that decision in January, however, ruling that while being struck by a baseball is an inherent risk fans assume at games, being hit with a hot dog isn’t.