Suit Filed in Boy’s Fatal Fall After Lakers Game
A lawsuit has been filed on behalf of the family of a 2-year-old boy who plunged to his death from a skybox after a Los Angeles Lakers game in November, alleging there are unsafe conditions at Staples Center that must be fixed.
The suit filed in Superior Court claims Anschutz Entertainment Group and L.A. Arena Co., which operates the downtown facility, haven’t warned fans about the “dangerous” design of the luxury boxes. The filing, which alleges wrongful death and negligence, seeks unspecified damages and an injunction that would require the defendants to install taller barriers in front of the boxes, says an Insurance Journal report.
The boy died at a hospital and an autopsy determined his death was an accident.
The suit contends “in order to obtain the highest price possible for use of the luxury boxes, the Staples Center designed and maintains the luxury boxes in a dangerous condition.”
City officials have said the 19,000-seat arena is in compliance with their codes, which require guardrails to be at least 26 inches high in front of seats.
The safety barrier consists of 16-inch-high concrete topped by glass ranging in height from 10 inches in front of the seats to 26 inches near steps. That would put the total height of the barrier at 26 inches to 42 inches, depending on the location, the report says.
Staples Center is home to the NBA’s Lakers and Clippers, the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings and the WNBA’s Los Angeles Sparks.
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