Caring for Bryan Stow

Two years after he was savagely attacked in a Dodger Stadium parking lot, Giants fan Bryan Stow is back home with his parents in Santa Cruz, Calif., because his insurance company has refused to pay for any more time at a live-in care facility. Stow suffered severe brain trauma, and doctors have told his family that the father of two will never fully recover.

Two men assaulted Stow as he left a game between the San Francisco Giants and the Los Angeles Dodgers on March 31, 2011. According to police reports, the men hit Stow from behind and kicked him repeatedly when he fell to the ground. Both suspects left the scene in a vehicle driven by an unidentified woman.

“We are so glad to have him home, but as prepared as we thought we were, it was a difficult transition,” the Stow family wrote in a blog post. “Bryan requires so much assistance and it is impossible for [his parents, Ann and Dave] to do it alone.”

Stow’s family said the 44-year-old’s condition has improved during the past two years but that he needs the physical therapy he was getting at the Centre for Neuro Skills. Since he was taken out of the care facility, Stow “physically experienced a big setback.”

“We do what we can at home, but he needs the five days a week that he grew accustomed to,” the family wrote. “We just don’t know how to get that for him.”

Stow’s alleged attackers, Louis Sanchez and Marvin Norwood, pleaded not guilty to charges of mayhem, assault, and battery and are currently awaiting trial in Los Angeles.

Stow’s family is suing the Los Angeles Dodgers for compensation. Family lawyers calculate the total cost of his medical treatment during the rest of his life at $50 million. The Stow family, and the city of San Francisco in a separate lawsuit, claim the Dodgers’ negligent security made it possible for the 2011 attack to occur. The stadium has a history of fan violence including an incident in 2009 during which a Giants fan was stabbed multiple times in a parking lot after a game.

“There have been so many problems at Dodger Stadium,” said Christopher Aumais, an attorney representing the Stow family, citing previous fan altercations and poor security response time. “The thing is, it’s America’s pastime, you have a few beers, watch the game, you don’t expect to go out and end up in a wheelchair the rest of your life.”