Part of the fun of attending Major League Baseball (MLB) games is attempting to catch the foul balls as they soar towards the stands. But being in the range of these errant missiles can have long-term, negative consequences.
Just ask one longtime Chicago Cubs fan from Schaumburg who got hit in the left eye with a foul ball on Aug. 29 at Wrigley Field. He was watching a match-up between his beloved Cubs and the Pittsburgh Pirates. According to new reports, the ball “destroyed his eye” and fractured five bones in the fan’s face.
Since the injury, the man has undergone multiple surgeries. It’s likely he will need a prosthetic eye, and Fox News reports that the vision in his other eye could also diminish as a result of the injury.
At a press conference last week, the 60-year-old fan, who attended the game as his attorney’s guest, said, “It was just too fast,” and that fans could “be there with a mitt and . . . [not be] able to react in time.” He is suing both the Cubs and the league for damages in excess of $50,000.
This is just the latest in a string of injuries to MLB fans from out-of-bound balls. Attorneys for the injured Cubs fan said that management for the New York Yankees as well as the Cubs propose extending home field safety nets to provide additional protection to their fans. By opening day of the 2018 baseball season at Wrigley Field, the Cubs hope to have additional netting stretching at least 30 feet on either side of the foul ball lines.
The Cubs spokesperson declined to make any comments on the litigation, stating that the team had yet to see the lawsuit.
If you wind up getting injured at a professional sports event due to the negligence of an individual or entity, you may be able to pursue premises liability litigation against the at-fault party.
Source: Wisdom Save, “Cubs fan suing baseball team after foul-ball injury,” Tyrone Saunders, Oct. 10, 2017