Rams fan ends up in hospital after Super Bowl when object hits her from behind in stands
INGLEWOOD, Calif. (KABC) -- A Rams fan is recovering after a trip to SoFi Stadium to watch her team compete for the championship ended with a hospital visit.
Lita Abella was excited about going to the Super Bowl on Sunday. She spent nearly $9,000 to go to the big game with her son. Now, she's struggling and limping.
"I'm in a lot of pain, my head is pounding - I'm not doing very well at all," she said.
Abella says she was in her seat when she was hit from behind during the third quarter of the game.
"I don't know what hit me - a body, an object - I don't know. Something hit me so hard that all I remember is it felt like I flew down."
She says her face hit the seats in front of her and she blacked out. She woke up on the floor.
"I put two hands up to my face because I'm like my head, it's exploding and then I was just drenched in blood."
Abella's attorney Steven Ortiz, with the Okhovat Law Firm, says it appears it started when someone behind her fell. He describes it as an avalanche effect falling forward.
"We believe that someone jumped up and fell onto the person in front of them and that had a trickle down, domino effect that (caused) everyone else to fall," Ortiz added.
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The Inglewood Police Department is investigating and issued a statement, which says in part:
"There was no 'human avalanche' within section 522 the night of the Super Bowl and unfortunately Mrs. Abella was the only person who fell in that section and suffered an injury. An unfortunate incident which was not the result of a physical assault or a 'human avalanche'."
Ortiz says he was shocked by that statement, adding that he spoke to a witness who saw other victims and where it started.
"We know that someone about 10 rows up did stand up and they pointed at themselves saying that this is where it occurred."
A request for comment from SoFi Stadium officials was not immediately returned.
For now, Abella says all she can do is try to heal.
"It's a fractured nose and possibly some other fractures in my face, possible fracture and separation of my right shoulder. They just did an MRI of my neck, I got to meet with my doctor to find out what's going on with that," she said.
Doctors told her because of the severity of her injuries, her rehabilitation will likely take months.
