TAMPA, Fla. -- A Tampa Bay Lightning fan has hired an attorney after getting hit in the face by a puck at Saturday afternoon’s playoff game.
Sabrina Pattie was at Game 2 of the series against the New Jersey Devils with her husband and two young children when a puck flew over the glass and struck her.
The family was sitting on the first level, just to the end of the protective netting, attorney Loren Pincus said.
Pattie’s attorney reached out to 10News and tells us she was taken from the arena to Tampa General Hospital. The Lightning has not offered a phone call to check on her condition, according to the attorney.
10News reached out to the Lightning for a response. A spokesperson for the organization said it typically reaches out to fans who’ve gotten injured on the first business day after the game. The Lightning plan to reach out to her Monday, he said.
In most cases, neither the venue nor the organization is liable if a spectator gets injured during the natural course of a game, according to the University of Denver Sports and Entertainment Law Journal. People who buy tickets to a game essentially sign an agreement that the venue and team aren’t responsible for their injuries.
Tickets to Lightning games have a warning on them that fans can get injured and that the team isn’t responsible. The NHL mandated protective netting behind the goals after a fan was killed by a puck in 2002.
However, there is no netting around the entire rink.
We will update this story after an expected interview with Pattie and when we receive a statement from the Lightning organization.
►Make it easy to keep up-to-date with more stories like this. Download the 10 News app now.
Have a news tip? Email tips@wtsp.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter feed.
