roulette ball on wheel

A man who was struck in the eye by a roulette ball has filed a lawsuit against the casino the incident occurred in.

Leander Stocks was playing roulette at Maryland Live! Casino in Hanover, Md, when a roulette ball bounced off its spinning wheel and hit him in the left eye. The bizarre incident took place in December 2013 and now a lawsuit has been submitted to U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia by Stocks.

He claims the employee who was operating the roulette wheel acted “negligently” and the impact of the roulette ball on his eye “caused a sharp and severe pain followed by general disorientation.”

Maryland Live! owners Cordish Companies has filed to dismiss the case, but this was denied by a judge last week. They tried to claim that they did not operate the casino, but the judge ruled that information on their website made it clear that they owned and operated Maryland Live!

The case contains further claims from stocks that the injury was exacerbated by a security guard who caused further pain and bruising whilst trying to treat Stocks after the incident. According to papers the security guard poured an unidentified liquid into his eye without permission.

Stocks claims he experienced “immediate blurred vision, increased pain and discomfort in the affected area, overwhelming disorientation and pronounced loss of physical coordination.”

Following this he tried to get to his feet, but fell due to disorientation and hit his head, leaving him unconscious. He was then taken to hospital and treated for concussion and for the ball impact on his eye.

Stocks claims that since the incident he has continued to have “bouts of blurred vision, occasional loss of coordination and regular episodes of post-traumatic headaches.”

He is attempting to claim damages of $300,000. Cordish has yet to comment on the case.