A Vancouver Canucks fan is taking the team to court and it's not over their performance on the ice.
Wayne Chi was watching the Canucks play the Anaheim Ducks at Rogers Arena on April 7, 2014 when a puck soared off the ice and hit him in the head, according to a lawsuit filed in B.C. Supreme Court this week.
Chi, a Richmond resident, said he suffered serious injuries to his forehead, neck and back, as well as headaches, nausea and dizziness, and that he’s still being affected years later.
As a result of the injuries, Chi has suffered "loss of enjoyment of life," permanent disability and a loss of earnings, the lawsuit reads.
"He wants some form of acknowledgement that this incident occurred. He wants some kind of compensation for the fact that he did suffer an injury," Chi's lawyer Manjot Hallen told CTV News.
"When you go to a hockey game, there should be an expectation that you're not going to suffer an injury."
Citing the Occupiers Liability Act, Chi’s claim accuses the Canucks, Vancouver Hockey General Partner Inc. and Aquilini Investment Group Ltd. of negligence leading up to his injuries.
It alleges they failed to properly inspect the arena for “hazards which could present a danger,” or to provide adequate warnings about the risks of attending games.
Pacific Coast Arena is also named as a defendant in the suit.
None of the defendants have yet filed a statement of defence in the case, and none of the allegations in Chi’s suit have been proven in court. The Canucks declined to comment on the lawsuit.
According to the Canucks’ terms of service, which is available online and written on the back of tickets, spectators assume all risk of personal injury that comes with attending games.
It also include a specific warning, written in capital letters, that reads: “PUCKS FLYING INTO SPECTATOR AREAS CAN CAUSE SERIOUS INJURY. BE ALERT WHEN IN SPECTATOR AREAS.”
Chi isn't the first fan to sue the Canucks. During the team's 2011 playoff run, one spectator claimed a confetti cannon fell from the ceiling and hit him on his head, leaving him with a brain injury. That case is still in court.
With a report from CTV Vancouver's Travis Prasad