April 09--A man who was at a Chicago Blackhawks game last May is ready to send the team to the penalty box after a drunken fan fell on him from two rows above and injured him, according to a lawsuit filed in Cook County Circuit Court.
According to the suit filed Thursday, John Cooke and his brother were watching the Blackhawks play the Anaheim Ducks on May 23 when the checking and jostling normally reserved for the ice made its way to the stands.
As the match was underway, a drunken male fan sitting two rows above and behind Cooke repeatedly "acted unruly," according to the suit. The ushers, according to the suit, failed to report the behavior of the overexuberant fan to security officers.
Security officers "were not in their assigned area and did not respond to complaints" about the fan, according to the suit.
Then when the Blackhawks scored a goal, the fan fell forward and landed on Cooke, injuring him, according to the suit.
The suit does not list what injuries Cooke suffered but notes Cooke's lawyer, Daniel O'Connor, is seeking a minimum of $50,000 in damages. O'Connor could not be reached for comment.
In the suit, Cooke alleges negligence on the part of the Blackhawks, the United Center and At Your Service, the arena's security contractor, for failing to "eject (the fan) from the United Center ... when (they) knew, or should have known, that (the fan) was impaired and a danger to those spectators seated below him."
Officials from the Blackhawks and United Center could not be reached for comment. Attempts to reach At Your Service were unsuccessful.
Cooke is also suing Levy Premium Foodservice, the company selling food and alcohol at the arena, under the Dram Shop Act, a state statute that holds liquor businesses liable for injuries caused by an intoxicated person.
Jenn Sutherland, a spokeswoman for Levy Premium Foodservice, said she could not immediately comment on the suit.
jkuang@tribpub.com
Twitter @JeanneKuang
