$650,000 Recreational Field Injury Settlement

She was running to third base in a kickball game when her foot dropped into a gap in the artificial turf. The playing surface had a separation — a ditch where the turf sections met — and the facility never fixed it, never marked it, and never warned anyone playing on the field.

Dangerous Playing Surface at a Recreational Field

Our client was participating in a recreational kickball game at a facility with an artificial turf playing field. As she rounded second base and sprinted toward third, her foot caught in a separation between sections of the turf surface. The gap — a ditch where adjoining turf panels had separated or where the subsurface had shifted — was wide enough and deep enough to trap a runner's foot at full stride. Her momentum carried her forward while her foot remained caught, causing a violent twisting fall that resulted in lower extremity injuries requiring surgical intervention.

Artificial turf fields require regular inspection and maintenance to prevent exactly this kind of hazard. Seams between turf panels can separate over time due to weather, use, and subsurface settling. When gaps develop, they create trip-and-catch hazards for anyone running on the surface — and recreational fields are specifically designed for running, cutting, and quick directional changes that make surface defects especially dangerous.

Facility Operator's Failure to Maintain Safe Playing Conditions

The operator of a recreational facility has a duty to maintain playing surfaces in a condition that is safe for the intended use. A kickball field is designed for running — and a runner's foot striking a gap in the turf at full speed is a foreseeable consequence of a poorly maintained surface. The facility operator had a duty to inspect the field regularly, identify surface separations before they became hazardous, and repair or close the field until repairs were completed.

Our attorneys documented the turf separation through photographs and measurements taken at the field. We retained a sports surface expert who inspected the facility and determined that the gap exceeded acceptable tolerances for recreational turf fields and that the separation had been developing over an extended period — it was not a sudden failure. We also investigated the facility's maintenance records and found no evidence of regular turf inspections or any repair history for the section of field where our client was injured.

"A recreational field is designed for one thing — people running on it. When the playing surface has a gap big enough to catch a runner's foot at full speed, the facility has a problem they need to fix. This separation didn't appear overnight. Our sports surface expert confirmed it had been developing for an extended period. The facility never inspected it, never repaired it, and let people play on a field they knew was deteriorating." — Andrew Levine, Founding Partner

$650,000 Settlement for a Recreational Field Injury

This $650,000 settlement covers surgical treatment, rehabilitation, lost wages, and the permanent lower extremity limitations our client now manages. It holds the facility operator and property owner accountable for a playing surface defect that should have been identified and repaired before anyone was allowed to use the field.

If you were injured on a poorly maintained playing field, artificial turf, or recreational surface, our premises liability attorneys have experience proving facility negligence and are ready to review your case.