Amputations occurred for some who attended the Dolphins-Chiefs game

Earlier this week, a report surfaced stating this Some amputations may be required For people who suffered frostbite during the Dolphins-Chiefs deep freeze playoff game in the wild card round.

The Missouri Medical Research Center said Friday that some people who attended the game had already undergone amputations.

Via ESPN.com, the hospital said in a statement that it treated “dozens” of frostbite patients from January's extreme cold snap. Twelve, including some who attended the playoff game, underwent amputations.”Mostly fingers and toes“.

The statement indicates that more amputations are expected to be performed during the next 2-4 weeks as “the injuries develop.”

As the game approached and the outlook turned colder and colder, the NFL said it had happened There is no temperature considered too cold To play a game. Perhaps, in light of Friday's news, that should be the case.

Is there a liability on the NFL when these injuries occur? On the one hand, people make the decision to go to the game, fully aware of the expectations. On the other hand, someone could try to come up with a legal theory based loosely on the concept of “Attractive inconvenience“The fact that a playoff is happening becomes a very strong temptation to roll the dice on what might happen after standing in the freezing cold for an extended period of time.

Regardless of whether and to what extent the league (or its insurers) would assume financial responsibility to compensate those injured during an outdoor game that was not canceled due to weather, the question is whether postponing or moving the game would cause harm. Playing in extremely cold conditions is the right thing to do.

Aside from the fact that people have to make their own choices about whether or not to go, sometimes the wise thing to do is to take that option off the table. The NFL does this when a game is temporarily postponed due to lightning or when snow makes roads too impassable for the game.

Why shouldn't the league at least consider whether there is a temperature at which frostbite, followed by amputations, becomes possible – and whether that is a situation that would result in a game being postponed or moved?

Here's the truth. If frostbite and/or amputations occur to players, coaches and/or other staff present at the game, the captain will immediately reconsider his policy. Why doesn't that happen when injuries happen to clients?