'I was in shock': Leduc woman injured after her Rogers Place seat collapses

Rogers Place seat collapse injures woman From bucket list experience to health problems, a Leduc woman shares her experience after her Rogers Place seat collapsed.

What was supposed to be a bucket list experience at the Toronto Raptors exhibition game in Edmonton quickly turned into one a Leduc woman is trying to forget.

Margaret Dirsa, 71, and her daughter were looking forward to going to Rogers Place to see the Raptors take on the Utah Jazz on Sunday, Oct. 2.

"We were two rows up," Dirsa told CTV News Edmonton. "We were on one end and we could see the entire basketball court and we weren't that far from where the backboard was. We had perfect vision."

"This was on her (my daughter's) bucket list," Dirsa said.

The pair settled into their seats as the basketball teams were warming up when the unthinkable happened.

"The chair I was sitting on collapsed, sending me backwards where my head hit the cement behind me, and the chair arm hit me in the rib area," Dirsa recalled.

"I think I was in shock," she added.

Rogers Place staff were alerted and came to Dirsa, who says they attempted to fix the chair. Then medical personnel came to help move her and assess her injuries.

"I didn't start feeling sick until the gal from Rogers moved us," Dirsa said. "I go about halfway down behind the player's bench when nausea started coming through."

She was able to make it to the concourse when she bumped into her family doctor, who immediately noticed and was concerned for her wellbeing.

"Next thing I knew, I was off to the first aid room with two paramedics," Dirsa said.

She was placed onto a backboard and then taken to the Royal Alexandra Hospital.

After a CT scan and a consultation with an orthopedic surgeon, Dirsa says she was told that doctors suspect she had soft tissue or muscular damage.

While her family doctor is still assessing the full extent of her injuries, she still has problems moving almost a month later.

"To put on clothes or stuff, I'm practically bent like a pretzel, so I don't have to move," Dirsa said. "It's something I'll never forget, and I don't ever want to go back there."

Looking back, Dirsa wishes arena staff had been more helpful and attentive to her situation.

"They need to have some personnel that know how to deal with this situation. Like show some empathy and compassion, not worry about, we can get you seats somewhere else," Dirsa said. "(They) had no idea what I was going through."

Rogers Place has told the family they will be reimbursed for their tickets and that once Dirsa is well enough, they will receive a "full experience" at the arena. Dirsa and her husband are still waiting to hear from the arena's insurance company for word on any further compensation.

Fan and staff safety are the company's top priority, said Stuart Ballantyne, president and COO of Rogers Place and Ice District, in a statement to CTV News Edmonton.

"We have been in constant communication with the fan involved and their family members since the incident occurred as we work to resolve this matter," Ballantyne said. "The reclining portion of the seat in question has been reset and checked thoroughly.

"We conduct daily safety checks across all areas of Rogers Place and these types of situations are extremely rare."

Dirsa still wants an apology from Rogers Place and for them to make the situation right. Her family is considering getting a lawyer to help.

"I think the most heartbreaking thing is the non-response from them other than (offering) a 'Rogers experience,'" Dirsa added. "The experience I had is embedded in here."

With files from CTV News Edmonton's Steven Dyer