For many young children in New York, playing Little League Baseball is a rite of passage in their childhood. They create lifelong skills and memories. Unfortunately, a recent lawsuit reveals that one child’s experience playing Little League resulted in lifelong consequences due to a child injury.
The incident happened in April 2015. According to reports, an 11-year-old player was in a first-base dugout. Unfortunately, a line drive was hit in his direction, going through an opening between the backstop and dugout where there was no fence. The ball struck the young boy in the temple.
His father took him to the hospital were he ultimately underwent brain surgery; his injuries included bleeding on his brain, a brain shift and a fractured skull. Additionally, his father claims that the child was a different person afterward. He suffers from severe behavioral and mood changes as well as issues with impulse control. Due to his injuries, he had to change schools and is now accompanied by special education teachers all day. A representative for the family claims that the gap in fencing was a violation of league rules, and another player was hit by a ball prior to the head injury, but because he was wearing a chest protector, he was not injured and no action was taken.
Despite arguments made by representatives for the three defendants named in the lawsuit, a jury recently ruled in favor of the plaintiff, awarding him $1.7 million that will be placed in a trust for him. Unfortunately, it is often difficult to predict how a child injury to the brain can impact the rest of the victim’s life. As a result, families in New York with a child who has experienced such an injury due to another’s negligence often consult an attorney with experience with such cases to evaluate their case.
Source: post-gazette.com, “Kilbuck boy, severely injured by Little League foul ball, wins $1.7 million jury verdict“, Paula Reed Ward, Feb. 1, 2018
