Man who fell from the third story of downtown Albuquerque bar files lawsuit

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – A man suffered severe injuries from a fall off the third-story balcony at a downtown bar last year. The big question now is, was it his fault? Or the bouncers?

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“He can’t walk, he can’t talk, he is catastrophically injured in a life-changing event,” said Adrian Vega, Partner at Buckingham and Vega Law Firm.

It happened last year on May 20, when 22-year-old Gabriel Romero went to a downtown bar in Albuquerque. After that night, his life would never be the same. “He plummeted three stories down onto the pavement and changed his life forever,” said Vega.

Now, Romero is suing Canvas Artistry, a restaurant during the day turned nightclub in the evening, off Central and First.

The lawsuit and the response from the bar both said a fight broke out between Romero and another man. When security personnel tried to break it up, the lawsuit said one of the bouncers placed Romero “in a headlock before picking him up and carrying him to the patio”.

“We see three men all in black, black shirts, black pants, and when Mr. Romero believed he was being jumped and he had tried to escape that unfortunate incident…” said Vega.

The next thing Romero knew, he was on the ground. His lawyer said security personnel lacked proper identification. He also said the bar failed to provide police with needed surveillance footage making Canvas Artistry culpable. “I think the why is accountability. And the hope is that there will be positive change in these bars throughout Albuquerque and throughout New Mexico,” said Vega.

But the bar denied many of these allegations in a legal response that said, “Mr. Romero propelled himself over the railing under his own volition.”

They also denied the suggestion they withheld footage from police. But Romero’s lawyer said the tragic incident could have been avoided, “Because it’s preventable, it’s obvious, and it’s predictable.”

KRQE News 13 reached out to the president of Canvas Artistry who said he does not comment on pending litigation. Albuquerque Police Department told KRQE News 13 they are not investigating as it is now a civil matter.

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