Woman Stabs Friend With Real Knife in Haunted House

In a crazy twist of fate, life imitated art at Nashville Nightmare Haunted House earlier this week. Tawnya Greenfield stabbed her friend after an apparent employee handed her a knife and encouraged her to stab her friend, James "Jay" Yochim. She reasonably thought it was a fake knife, but when she noticed the huge gash that went completely through his forearm, and blood spouting from the wound, she realized it was a cruel hoax.

A Nightmare Employee

Few would blame Greenfield. They had already gone through a large portion of the haunted house where they had been chased with chainsaws and people holding weapons, all seemingly fake and in good fun. Guests had gone through a metal detector upon entering the attraction, and who would have ever thought that an employee would hand her a real knife?

But it appears that was the case. The man that handed Greenfield the knife, and told her to stab Yochim, appears to be a Nightmare employee, pun intended. Afterward, the employee screamed "ha, ha gotcha". Yochim said that later, the employee apologized, claiming "I didn't know my knife was that sharp."

Not the Sharpest Knife in the Drawer

It appears charges won't be filed against Greenfield, as she clearly had no intent to knife her friend. So far, no charges have been filed against the employee or Nashville Nightmare. The employee could be charged with conspiracy to commit assault with a deadly weapon.

Though Nashville Nightmare is probably free of any criminal charges, they could be hit with civil lawsuits, as employers can be held liable for the bad acts of its employees under the concept of respondeat superior, or if the company was careless in hiring this employee. After all, who hands someone a knife and instructs them to stab someone, and then responds "I didn't know my knife was that sharp." Evidently, this employee is not the sharpest knife in the drawer.

If you or someone you love is injured during this frightful season, contact a personal injury attorney. Though no one likes to be a fun sponge, if things get carried away, and you do get unreasonably injured, a personal injury attorney can help recover your medical fees and maybe even lost earnings. If you feel you have a claim, contact one today.

Related Resources:

• Find a Personal Injury Attorney Near You (FindLaw's Lawyer Directory)
• Naked Haunted House Raises Fears of Potential Legal Issues (FindLaw Legally Weird)
• Haunted House Injury Lawsuit Settles for $125K (FindLaw Injured)