A Colorado man says he didn’t see it coming, and now he’s taking the Rockies to court. Timothy Roeckel, a baseball fan from Parker, claims a foul ball hit him square in the face during a game last summer at Coors Field, causing what he describes as “catastrophic and permanent injuries.”
The July 16, 2023, game between the Colorado Rockies and New York Yankees had barely started when the ball struck him in the bottom of the first inning. Roeckel says he was sitting in a luxury suite and had no warning before impact.
Now, he is suing the team, blaming both the stadium’s design and a game-day culture shaped by years of poor performance. In a lawsuit filed Monday in Denver District Court, Roeckel says the Rockies failed to make their stadium reasonably safe, violating the Colorado Baseball Spectator Safety Act of 1993.
Lawsuit Cites Stadium Design, Culture Shift
Roeckel’s complaint points to the layout of Coors Field as a key issue. According to the lawsuit, architectural elements like the luxury box ceiling and the bleacher seats’ overhang blocked his view. His lawyers claim “it was not physically possible” for him to see the foul ball coming from his seat.
Colorado Rockies Fan Hit By Foul Ball Sues Team, Partly Because They Stink
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He also says the team knew the risks and did nothing. The suit alleges the Rockies had been “specifically warned by engineers” about inadequate netting and safety concerns but ignored the advice. The Rockies have not yet responded publicly to the lawsuit.
Interestingly, Roeckel also argues that the Rockies’ dismal record played a part in the injury. At the time of the game, the team stood at 35–58. His attorneys say the Rockies’ poor on-field performance has led fans, especially those in luxury suites, to tune out the action and focus more on socializing, food, and business chats.
“The diminished competitive quality of play has fostered a stadium culture in which socializing, dining, and business networking have become the primary focus for many attendees,” the lawsuit reads. It claims the Rockies promoted this culture through marketing and stadium design choices that “emphasize hospitality and off-field amenities over fan vigilance.”
Roeckel is requesting a jury trial and an unspecified amount in damages, whether a jury has yet to decide whether a weak lineup can actually lead to lawsuits.
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