Posted on 04/18/2018 6:45:34 AM PDT by Gamecock
TAMPA — Sabrina Pattie and her two sons love hockey. And they love the Tampa Bay Lightning.
So she and her husband, Ryan, took them to their first-ever Lightning game on Saturday: Game 2 of the first-round Eastern Conference playoff series against the New Jersey Devils. They sat in Section 128, Row E — just five rows from the glass at Amalie Arena.
That’s where the 39-year-old first-grade teacher was sitting when a puck flew over the glass, past the safety net and slammed into her face.
"It’s not like they were center ice and this is a freak accident," her attorney, Loren Pincus, told the Tampa Bay Times. "They were right on the fringe where the net ends."
A medic quickly came to her aid. The Lawton Chiles Elementary School teacher was treated at a medical area in the arena, then taken to Tampa General Hospital.
Now Pattie wants to warn others about safety at hockey games. So far, she has missed two days of school and had to visit an optometrist to be cleared to start driving again.
The family doesn’t yet know the full extent of her injuries, Pincus said. She has experienced "post-concussion-type symptoms," he said, including numbness on the left side of her face along with that black left eye and knot on her forehead. But the lawyer said it could have been worse.
"If the puck would’ve hit her (horizontally) flat, we’re talking about losing vision," Pincus said. "She could’ve lost her eye."
Per team policy, Lightning representatives contacted Pattie the next business day on Monday. Team spokesman Bill Wickett also issued an apology on behalf of the team and said the arena adheres to all NHL safety guidelines.
"We are very sorry that Ms. Pattie was struck by a puck at our game on Saturday afternoon," the statement said. "The safety standards as they pertain to the spectator netting and minimum glass heights in all NHL buildings is set by the NHL and these standards are in place at Amalie Arena."
When fans attend any NHL game, they enter into an agreement that states neither the venue nor the hockey team are liable for any injuries.
Pincus complained that there hasn’t been a lot of sympathy for his client’s injuries. He’s heard arguments that amount to "you know what the ticket says, you know what the dangers are by stepping your foot in the arena. Why don’t you stay home?"
He said there were three other times Saturday when fans were hit by a puck near the area where Pattie and her family were sitting.
"I don’t think fans and people who are responding are aware of, No. 1, the severity of the injury, and No. 2, the frequency of how often it happens in that area," the lawyer said.
There have been a number of other incidents in the pastwhere fans were hit by pucks during a game. The most serious took place in 2002, when a girl was struck and killed by a puck during an NHL game in Columbus, Ohio.
The incident caused the NHL to implement mandatory safety netting at both ends of the rink behind the goalies.
Pincus said that his client has no plans to sue at the moment, but he said now may be a good time for the Lightning and the NHL to review whether the league’s safety practices are good enough to protect fans.
"This was a rocket that went in there to where she’s got a 6 and a 7-year-old sitting next to her," the attorney said. "Something needs to be done about that."
She should have blocked the puck with her shnozz.
That’s what Geddy Lee would have done.
Take Off, Eh!
Chit happens. Remember when Joe Torre’s wife got hit by a flying bag at a Braves game? Freak accidents can happen.
Baseball
Football
Sand lot basketball
Regular basketball
POLO
Soccer
Disc golf
Fly Fishing
Deep water fishing-—when fish jumps into boat....
There are a million ways to get hit by something. COWGIRL UP, BUTTERCUP !!!!
Here's another vintage hockey photo, with barefaced warrior Les Binkley for Pittsburgh defending against Dave Keon of the Leafs at Maple Leaf Gardens, circa 1967. Look at fans in stands and Conn Smythe's shirt and tie rule still being observed by season ticket holders.
Bettman was doing a pretty good job killing the game on his own but now he'll have some help. Great.
At a college baseball game, sitting down the right field line... I once took a line drive foul in the hip... it wasn’t a pleasant experience. Ya gotta pay attention in such places. Deep painful bruise... a literal pain in the butt!
She got an owwie that will last for about a week... so she wants to ruin the experience for everyone permanently. SMH.
Hockey is a great game, however, you need to pay attention to the puck. Are you trying to get money from Jeff Vinick? He is doing a lot of good in Tampa!!
A buddy of mine who I played little league and babe ruth baseball with once told me that his father told him that if he wants a guaranteed spot on the ball team, offer to be the catcher.......
That girl got game ! !
A man has his priorities.
His name must be Nancy.
“Pincus said that his client has no plans to sue at the moment,”
Why would she sue-—there was no negligence?
.
LOL great episode.
Beat me!
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