Fatal Fall at San Diego, California Qualcomm Stadium Blamed on Unsafe Seats – or Was it the Alcohol?

It was recently reported that Walter Daniels had a blood alcohol level of nearly four times the legal limit when he fell to his death from a press box at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, California last year.

Prior to the release of Daniels’ blood alcohol results, the stadium had agreed to install guard rails in more than a dozen viewing boxes at the stadium, all of which were declared unsafe by the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (CAL-OSHA) in the wake of the incident.

CAL-OSHA stated at the time that guard rails or other barriers in the viewing boxes needed to be a foot higher than they were at the time of Daniels’ death. The repairs were to be made at the taxpayers’ expense.

But now city officials are fighting the orders, saying that Daniels’ alcohol consumption along with balance issues he may have been suffering from a hip problem were the primary reasons for his fall. It remains to be seen who will prevail in this issue, but hopefully the safety of stadium-goers will take precedence over budgetary concerns.

Callahan & Blaine recently won a $7.25 million settlement in a similar case when a man was run over trying to board a city bus in Orange County, California with a blood alcohol level nearly three times the legal limit.

As these cases prove, everything is not as cut and dried as it may seem at first glance. When you or a loved one has suffered a catastrophic injury, you need a lawyer who has the expertise and experience to obtain an advantageous settlement on your behalf – whether through trial or negotiation.

Callahan & Blaine, California’s Premier Litigation Firm, is one of the leading firms in the state of California, and handles serious personal injury, wrongful death and product liability cases nationwide. In fact, in the last five years alone we’ve obtained over $1.2 billion in verdicts and settlements.

If you or someone you know has suffered a catastrophic injury or died as the result of an accident – no matter what the circumstances – please contact our California law firm for expert legal counsel.

Jake Gosselin