A St. Louis jury ordered the Los Angeles Rams to pay former NFL running back Reggie Bush $12.5 million after he suffered a severe knee injury in a game at the Edward Jones Dome in 2015. In the lawsuit, Bush claimed he suffered a season-ending knee injury during a game against the St. Louis Rams on Nov. 1, 2015. During the game, Bush was returning a punt for the San Francisco 49ers when he was pushed out of bounds, then slipped and fell on what his lawsuit called a “concrete ring of death,” a strip of exposed concrete about 35 feet behind the 49ers bench. After Bush’s fall, the concrete perimeter was covered with rubber padding on November 15, 2015 for the Rams’ first home game.
Bush’s fall resulted in a torn meniscus in his left knee that ended his 2015 season. He played one more NFL season, totaling minus -3 rushing yards on 12 carries across 13 games with the Buffalo Bills in 2016 before retiring.
According to reports, the Rams had a similar accident on the concrete perimeter when Josh McCown slid on the surface the week before and hurt his shoulder when he slammed into the stands. The jury found the Rams 100 percent liable for Bush’s injury – finding that the Rams knew about the dangerous condition on its premises-awarding $4.95 million in compensatory damages and $7.5 million in punitive damages.
If you or someone you know has been injured at a stadium or sporting event, or due to an unreasonably dangerous condition on another’s premises, contact an experienced attorney at Abraham, Watkins, Nichols, Agosto, Aziz & Stogner by calling (713) 222-7211 or toll free at 713-222-7211.