Dick Wertheim
Richard Wertheim was an American tennis linesman who suffered a fatal injury on September 10, 1983, during a match at the 1983 US Open. His fatal injury occurred after Stefan Edberg sent an errant serve directly into his groin. Wertheim had been sitting in a chair and officiating at the center line when the blow knocked him backwards. He fell out of the chair and onto the hardcourt surface, striking his head. He had a history of chronic cardiovascular disease having had a heart attack and stroke at age 40 years.
Wertheim was unconscious when he was taken to Flushing Hospital and Medical Center. He died on September 15. His family sued the United States Tennis Association for $2.25 million. In an opinion suggesting that the impact of the tennis ball had not been the proximate cause of his death, the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York reversed a $165,000 jury award to his estate.
