A Man Died After Falling Off a Rooftop Bar in Dallas. Now, His Family's Suing.

Christopher Hill was one of many hitting the bars in Dallas the weekend before St. Patrick’s Day.

On the evening of March 12, the 25-year-old went to 77 Degrees Rooftop Bar on Henderson Avenue in Northeast Dallas. The bar was crowded and didn’t have enough staff on site to control the crowd, court documents allege.

During the party, Hill fell off the third floor of 77 Degrees to the pavement below. “Christopher suffered extensive injuries, including massive facial and cranial fractures, and a brain bleed that ultimately caused his death at the hospital later that night,” his family’s attorneys said in the lawsuit.

Now, the Hill family is suing the bar’s owner, Ginger/Degrees Dallas LLC, and 2107 Henderson Avenue LLC, the company that owns the property.

News of the lawsuit comes after Ginger/Degrees and property owners allegedly refused to allow the family and their attorneys to inspect the bar as part of their independent investigation into Hill’s death. The family’s legal team claimed that both Ginger/Degrees and the property owner never responded to their requests to access the bar, raising questions about preservation of evidence.

“By failing to respond to our requests to enter the property and begin our investigation, the owners of 77 Degrees are making a horrific situation even worse and raising serious questions about the safety of their business,” said Michelle Simpson Tuegel, attorney for the Hill family. “Through this action, we are beginning the process of ensuring all relevant facts come to light and the Hill family gets justice for Christopher.”

Part of the legal team’s action includes a request for a temporary restraining order. According to court filings, the requested restraining order would block Ginger/Degrees and 2107 Henderson from altering potentially crucial evidence relevant to the case. Court documents focus on the protective railing around the perimeter of the third floor, claiming that the bar's "safety railing was too low, and constituted a dangerous condition on the premises."

Mike Simpson, another attorney for the Hill family, said their legal team is "confident that a legitimate and thorough investigation" would prove that the defendants' "negligence" ultimately led to Hill's death. “His family deserves nothing less than complete transparency as we begin the painful process of investigating the events leading up to this tragic incident," he added.

Ginger/Degrees Dallas Group LLC didn't respond to the Observer’s requests for comment, but Dave Wishnew, an attorney representing the company, told WFAA that "77 Degrees was not negligent in connection with Mr. Hill’s death."

He added, "The bar’s structure is fully code-compliant and has been inspected and approved by the city of Dallas."