A spectator at a college hockey game got hurt while trying to break up a fight. But was it the host college’s fault?

Cornelius O’Connor saw a tense and emotionally packed hockey game when he went to Syracuse University’s Tennity Ice Pavilion to see Syracuse take on Slippery Rock University.

After the game, a student spectator began fighting with a Slippery Rock player as the team waited to enter its locker room. A barrier was supposed to separate the players from the fans, but it didn’t prevent the fisticuffs. O’Connor broke his ankle and shin bone as he tried to break up the fight.

O’Connor sued Syracuse, the player and the spectator. He accused the university of negligence and negligent supervision.

The court rejected the claims against the school. The sudden confrontation between the player and the spectator wasn’t foreseeable, it said. There had never been a physical fight at the facility before that day. Therefore, the school didn’t breach any duty it owed to O’Connor.

Although it reinstated claims against the spectator and player, the court rejected O’Connor’s claims against Syracuse.

Cite: O’Connor v. Syracuse Univ.

Should the school have done more to make sure players and spectators didn’t mix? Let us now what you think in the comments section below.

Tags: athletics, negligence, Slippery Rock University, Syracuse University