Fan suing Blackhawks because drunk guy fell on him
It was Game 4 of the 2015 Western Conference Final. The Chicago Blackhawks were hosting the Anaheim Ducks. John Cooke and his brother were sitting in the sixth row of Section 331, cheering on the home team.
Two rows above them was another fan. A really, really drunk fan. The kind of drunk fan you look at and say, “Hey, that guy totally looks like he’s going to fall down two rows of seats onto the fans in front of him.”
Which, according to the lawsuit filed by John Cooke on Thursday in Cook County Circuit Court, is exactly what happened.
The intoxicated fan two rows behind them was “loud, boisterous and unruly” from the start of the game and lost his balance while celebrating a shorthanded goal by then-Hawks winger Brandon Saad late in the first period, the suit alleges.
The unidentified spectator tumbled down two rows striking Cooke, who suffered a neck injury that required surgery, his attorney David O’Connor said.
Other fans had complained to ushers earlier about the drunken man, but security weren’t in “their assigned positions” and failed to remove him from the crowd before he hurt Cooke, the suit claims.
Cooke is seeking more than $100,000 in damages from the Blackhawks, the United Center and its security contractor At Your Service, LLC.
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Greg Wyshynski is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Contact him at [email protected] or find him on Twitter. His book, TAKE YOUR EYE OFF THE PUCK, is available on Amazon and wherever books are sold.
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