Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images
A baseball fan is suing the Colorado Rockies over “catastrophic and permanent injuries” he claims to have suffered when he was hit in the face by a foul ball. He blames the design of the stadium and team’s pitiful record for the injuries.
Timothy Roeckel of Parker, Colorado says he was sitting in a Coors Field luxury box in the bottom of the first inning of a game between the Colorado Rockies and the New York Yankees on July 16, 2023 when a foul ball hit by a Rockies batter connected with his face.
In the lawsuit, filed Monday in Denver District Court, Roeckel claims he couldn’t see the ball coming towards him because of “architectural elements including the ceiling of the luxury box and the overhang of the stadium’s bleacher seats.” He claims that “it was not physically possible” for him to “see the foul ball from the seat in question.”
He says the Rockies violated the Colorado Baseball Spectator Safety Act of 1993 by not making “reasonable and prudent effort to design, alter, and maintain the premises… in a reasonably safe condition.” The lawsuit also states that the Rockies were “specifically warned by engineers retained by either Major League Baseball, its insurers, or Defendant about the inadequate netting and increased risk associated with the Stadium yet failed to act.”
The Rockies’ poor play (they were 35–58 at the time of his injuries, and are even worse this year, currently sitting at 8-40), Roeckel claims, was also a factor in his being hit by a foul ball.
“Defendant’s longstanding poor performance on the field (has) contributed to a game-day environment in which spectators, particularly those in luxury suites, are less engaged with the action on the field,” his attorneys wrote.
The lawyers added, “The diminished competitive quality of play has fostered a stadium culture in which socializing, dining, and business networking have become the primary focus for many attendees. … This cultural shift is not incidental but rather encouraged by (the Rockies’) own marketing and design choices, which emphasize hospitality and off-field amenities over fan vigilance.”
Roeckell is seeking a jury trial and an unspecified amount of money to pay for his injuries, damages and losses caused by the foul ball.