Colorado man hit in the eye by foul ball sues Rockies — in part blaming team’s poor performance

A Parker man this week sued the Colorado Rockies for negligence after he was struck in the face with a foul ball while sitting in a Coors Field luxury box in part blaming the company s poor performance for the injury Timothy Roeckel suffered catastrophic and permanent injuries when he was hit in the face and right eye by a foul ball during the Rockies July contest against the New York Yankees attorneys for Denver firm Nielsen Weisz wrote in the lawsuit filed Monday in Denver District Court The foul ball was hit by a Rockies batter in the bottom of the first inning and Roeckel couldn t see it coming because of architectural elements including the ceiling of the luxury box and the overhang of the stadium s bleacher seats the lawsuit states It was not physically practicable for Roeckel to see the foul ball from the seat in question his attorneys wrote While Colorado law protects stadiums from liability when fans are injured during games Roeckel s attorneys argue that this situation is an exception because the Rockies did not make a reasonable effort to keep the stadium safe Specifically the gang did not extend netting to protect fans despite being warned about the peril of foul balls by engineers encouraged non-spectating behavior like dining and socializing mounted televisions that distract fans from the contest and designed luxury boxes that obstruct the view of the field Extending protective netting has been a longstanding conversation among Major League Baseball agents and the Rockies along with dozens of other teams have increased netting coverage in the past The organization s poor track record is also to blame for Roeckel s injury the lawsuit states Defendant s longstanding poor performance on the field has contributed to a game-day climate in which spectators particularly those in luxury suites are less engaged with the action on the field attorneys with Nielsen Weisz wrote Related Articles Rockies start hot get blown out late by Phillies drop to - Rockies hope Carson Palmquist becomes strikeout pitcher they need in rotation Rockies strike out times waste Chase Dollander s strong start in loss to D-backs Rockies manager Warren Schaeffer The Renaissance man tireless worker culture-builder tasked with turning Colorado around Rockies hit five homers beat Diamondbacks - for rare road win That s caused a stadium lifestyle shift toward focusing on socializing dining and networking the lawsuit states This cultural shift is not incidental but rather encouraged by the Rockies own marketing and design choices which emphasize hospitality and off-field amenities over fan vigilance Roeckel s attorneys wrote The lawsuit seeks a jury trial and an unspecified amount of money for damages A spokesperson for the Rockies could not promptly be reached for comment on the lawsuit Want more Rockies news Sign up for the Rockies Insider to get all our MLB analysis Get more Colorado news by signing up for our daily Your Morning Dozen email newsletter