Colorado man Timothy Roeckel was hit in the face by a foul ball during a Rockies home game against the New York Yankees on July 16, 2023. He suffered eye damage in his right eye and is now filing a lawsuit against the Rockies. He alleges that a flaw in the stadium’s design meant that he couldn’t see the foul ball coming. Furthermore, he alleges that the Rockies are on the hook for liability for his injuries.
Colorado man hit in the eye by foul ball sues #Rockies — in part blaming team’s poor performance https://t.co/vguFQAtCtN via @denverpost
— Patrick Saunders (@psaundersdp) May 20, 2025
Colorado Man Files Lawsuit Against Rockies Over Foul Ball Injury
Claims of Stadium Negligence
Roeckel was sitting in a luxury box as a guest of the owner of the box when he was struck. He alleges that the “architectural elements including the ceiling of the luxury box and the overhang of the stadium’s bleacher seats” prevented him from being able to see the ball and that’s why he was injured. His attorney also claims, “It was not physically possible for Roeckel to see the foul ball from the seat.”
Roeckel and attorneys additionally alleged that the Rockies’ consistent poor performance created a stadium atmosphere that encouraged fans to look away from the game. They alleged that in turn, this increases the chances of fans being injured by foul balls and other wild hits. Specifically, the filing by Roeckel’s attorneys stated that “Defendant’s longstanding poor performance on the field have contributed to a game-day environment in which spectators, particularly those in luxury boxes, are less engaged with the action on the field”. Roeckel’s attorneys argue that this is another reason why he was injured and why the Rockies are at fault.
Likely Outcome of Rockies Lawsuit
It seems very unlikely that Roeckel will win this case. The claim that the Rockies’ poor performance contributed to Roeckel’s injury seems dubious at best. Additionally, there is a Colorado law on the books that protects stadiums from liability when fans are injured during games.
Furthermore, there is a long history of fans suing for injuries suffered during baseball games. The most famous example is Coomer vs. Kansas City Royals. This is a case where a man was injured by a hot dog thrown by Royals mascot Sluggerrr. He then filed a lawsuit against the Royals for negligent action. Ultimately, the jury in the case ruled that being injured by “an inherent risk of attending the game” like a hot dog being thrown or a foul ball in Roeckel’s case, meant that the team was protected from liability.
Theoretically, the only way that Roeckel could win this lawsuit is if he proves that the design of the stadium caused his injury, that the Rockies knew of this design, and that the Rockies did nothing to fix it. The Rockies opened Coors Field in 1995. As far as this writer knows, this has not been a complaint before in all those years. So, all in all, it seems unlikely that Roeckel will be winning this case. However, it will be an interesting gauge of how the government views the responsibility of teams for their fans’ safety.
Photo Credit: © Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images
