WHO’S RESPONSIBLE?

Family Says Dallas Bar’s ‘Negligence’ Led to Man’s Fatal Fall From Rooftop

Christopher Hill was celebrating St. Patrick’s Day when he fell over a railing on the third floor of a Dallas rooftop bar.

The family of a 25-year-old man who fell to his death from a Dallas rooftop bar has filed a temporary restraining order against the establishment, 77 Degrees, alleging that it was overcrowded and understaffed at the time of the incident. Christopher Hill was celebrating St. Patrick’s Day at 77 Degrees on March 12 when he fell over a railing on the third floor, leading to severe injuries and bleeding in the brain that ultimately caused his death, according to the restraining order petition. The family’s petition alleges that the railing was too low, but doesn’t note its specific height. The family decided to pursue the restraining order request after the bar did not respond to written requests for access to the property, though 77 Degrees management says they did not hear from the family until the petition was filed on Monday. The family’s filing says that 77 Degrees was negligent and “failed to exercise ordinary care,” asking that the court prevent the bar from modifying its railings or any surveillance video that may have recorded Hill’s fall. “The owners and employees of 77 Degrees offer their condolences to Mr. Hill’s family. This was a tragic loss of life,” the bar’s attorney, Dave Wishnew, said, adding that the bar was not negligent.