Third Mechanical Bull Lawsuit The Charm For Johnny Utah's?

Riding the bull ( hbomb1947 the turnstile-jumper's flickr).

Rockefeller Center Western-themed tourist trap Johnny Utah's just can't catch a break. Despite the fact that those who choose to ride the bar's mechanical bull are asked to sign a waiver the bar has now been smacked with not one, not two , but three lawsuits relating to injuries caused by the robotic cattle.

38-year-old Christopher Haynes says he suffered a fracture of his left tibial plateau on January 7 after "he was sent flying before even getting a chance to settle on top of the mechanical menace," and now he wants the bar to pay up unspecified damages. Haynes claims that he is "permanently disabled" because of the mishap and was "confined to a bed" as a result.

"Before he was actually seated or had obtained a grasp on the grip, the operator started up the mechanical bull and Haynes was immediately and violently thrown off," the suit says.

Haynes lawyer says he does not know if his client signed the bar's standard release for riding the bull, or if he had been drinking when he got on. But he doesn't seem too worried about that detail. Part of the suit claims that Johnny Utah's lacks the proper liability insurance and licensing to operate the bull.

When we called Johnny Utah's for comment we were asked to call back later.

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By Garth Johnston in Food on June 28, 2011 6:02 PM

Comments [rss]

HypocraticOath

Something tells me a mechanical bull operator at Johnny Utah's is probably more concerned about scraping together subway fare for the ride back to the apartment he shares with about 14 other transplants than the safety of some drunk douchenozzle.

Chris Mem

Having attended an event at Johnny Utah's several years ago, I remember the borderline malicious smirk on the operator every time a guy mounted the bull. Women rode fine for minutes at a time while men were flung off with as much sudden violent force as possible. What was supposed to be a friendly party ended up upsetting quite a number of people as a result.

Mechanical bulls can be as dangerous or as harmless as you want them to be... it's up to the opreator to exercise some restraint.

Len_Drexler

I can't believe a mechanical bull is legal in New York.

pendejito

Reminds me of that family suing the city for a falling tree branch in Central Park, fatally injuring their kid.

Tristin Borland

I'm sorry, but all 3 lawsuits should be tossed out. I don't even care what the details are. They agreed to ride it, no one forced them on at gun point. This is stupid! and the people sueing are either stupid, greedy, or mentally ill.

Unkle_Bob

They agreed to ride it, but they would assume proper safety measures have been taken. One of those measures would be "making sure someone is properly seated on the bull before starting it." The claim made in this lawsuit is that the guy was thrown off the bull before he even had a chance to properly sit down on it. And having seen that done many times (the bull operators are complete douches), I can believe the circumstances.

Guest

I once played tackle football and sued a man for tackling me.

Spirit of 76

"Haynes lawyer says he does not know if his client signed the bar's standard release for riding the bull, or if he had been drinking when he got on."

Uh, counselor, have you ever heard of "due diligence"?