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Concertgoer Sues Hammerstein Ballroom After Man Falls On Him From Balcony
By
Jen Chung
Published Sep 30, 2013
Modified Sep 30, 2013
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By
Jen Chung
Published Sep 30, 2013
Modified Sep 30, 2013
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A man who attended a concert at Hammerstein Ballroom—because his friend's girlfriend couldn't use a ticket—is now suing the venue because he was injured. And it wasn't a slip-and-fall or anything like that: Yosef Allen says that another attendee toppled from the second floor balcony and landed on top of him, leaving him "horribly injured."
The incident occurred during a performance of the French electronic music group Justice last October. According to the Daily News, "The unidentified fan was apparently fine - witnesses said he was smiling and flashing metal fingers after the fall" while Allen suffered injuries to his "back, neck, and head." His lawyer Glenn Faegenburg said his client "absorbed the impact" and that Allens' spine was fractured in numerous places and he needed two surgeries for his knee.
Allen missed six months of work at B+H Photo, and Faegenburg said, "In total, he missed almost six months of work—and his mind doesn't feel as sharp as it used to. The speed with which he can call up words has been affected." The lawsuit criticizes Hammerstein Ballroom for letting the concertgoer who fell go, and permitting concertgoers in general be "unruly" and consume "excessive amounts of alcohol" as well as "failing to furnish proper guardrails on the upper levels and balconies." Here's a view of that concert from the balcony—it's apparently a 30 foot drop:
Allen is seeking unspecified damages.
Tagged
concert
hammerstein ballroom
lawsuit
yosef allen
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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