Family of Hockey Player Suing NHL for Wrongful Death

 Posted on May 17, 2013 in Personal Injury

It is now the second round of the NHL playoffs.  While most people are enjoying the championship level hockey, a family is searching for closure after losing their son, Derek Boogaard.  Boogaard was on a couple of different professional teams as an enforcer or goon, someone who would protect their teammates at any cost.

In May of 2011, Derek died of an accidental overdose in Minneapolis.  The cause was due to a deadly combination of pain pills and alcohol.  Painkillers that NHL teams prescribed to him so that he could deal with the trauma that he endured by fighting other players.  It is estimated that in the 2008 season, Boogaard received over 1,000 pain pills, sometimes taking as many as 10 per day.

The family of Boogaard filed a wrongful death lawsuit in Cook County against the NHL.  They claimed that the doctors who treated his injuries prescribed pills even while knowing that he had developed an addiction.  They also said that they never informed Derek of the dangers of his position as a goon.  The effects of nearly nightly abuse was uncovered  after his autopsy which showed CTE or Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy.

The language of the claim is very specific in how the NHL is at fault.  “Prior to and during Derek Boogaard’s career, the NHL knew, or should have known, that the Enforcers/Fighters in the NHL had an increased risk of brain damage due to concussive and sub-concussive brain trauma and were particularly susceptible to addiction issues,” reads the lawsuit.

If one of your loved ones has experienced an injury or worse due to the negligence of a third party, it is important to receive some closure.  A personal injury lawsuit can help you recoup costs associated with the treatment of these injuries as well as the emotional damage to a family left behind.  Contact an experienced personal injury attorney in DuPage County to receive a consultation about your damages today.

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