Medieval Times Sued by Guest Blinded in Sword Match - East Idaho News
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Medieval Times Sued by Guest Blinded in Sword Match

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ht dustin Wiseman Medieval Times thg 120920 wmain?  SQUARESPACE CACHEVERSION=1348167100862Courtesy Dustin Wiseman (BUENA PARK, Calif.) — A South Dakota man and his new bride went to Medieval Times in Buena Park, Calif., expecting to be entertained by a jousting match, but instead he claims that a chard from a metal sword caused an eye injury that resulted in blindness.

“I never truly understood the importance of each eye until I lost one. Now, pouring a glass of water is difficult,” said Dustin Wiseman in a statement through his attorney’s office.

The 37-year-old and his wife Melissa Wiseman were watching the staged sword match from the front row on their honeymoon when the incident took place.

According to the eight-page complaint filed in July, which seeks $10 million in damages, “during the sword fight one of the swords sparked, throwing a piece of metal into the crowd.”  The piece of metal from the sword allegedly caused the new husband to sustain a severe left eye injury.

In an answer to complaint, Medieval Times denied all allegations made by the Wisemans.

“It was a freak accident. Medieval Times has been in business for more than 30 years and there are eight different castles and there’s never been a similar incident,” Daniel Friedenthal, an attorney at Friedenthal, Heffernan and Klein, who represents Medieval Times told ABC News.

The Wisemans’ filed a lawsuit at the Superior Court of California in Orange County alleging the dinner and tournament establishment was negligent and responsible for the injury.

“When a business endangers the lives of its customers it must be held accountable.  Medieval Times did not even give the Wiseman’s a refund.  It is clear that Medieval Times is abiding by the old adage of profits over safety,” Jason Fowler, an attorney for the couple at the R. Rex Parris Law Firm, told ABC News in a statement.

“This is a case about safety.  That when we pay money to take our children to a place that we assume is safe that it actually is safe,” the statement continued.

“The only thing they actually did was go to the beach, then go to Medieval Times and go to the hospital,” wrote Jason Fowler.

The suit alleges Medieval Times did nothing to protect Dustin from “the dangers presented by live jousting and sword fighting taking place directly in front of them.”

The restaurant and tournament venue is “very safety conscience,” said Friedenthal.

The suit alleges the restaurant and tournament venue spot was negligent in selecting materials for the show, negligent in the placement for sword fights, and negligent in the type of barriers used to protect the audience.

According to the complaint, Wiseman “has been unable to perform work services, and duties as a spouse before, and will be unable to perform same in the future” as a result of his injury.

The complaint requests economic and non-economic damages, and for interest and prejudgment interest.

Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio

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