Los Angeles Angels has become the latest Major League Baseball (MLB) team to face legal action after a fan was injured by a ball.
The family of a child who suffered a fractured skull at a game at Angel Stadium three years ago has filed a lawsuit, claiming the team was negligent by not protecting fans as players warmed up before a game. Bryson Galaz, then 6 years old, was at the front of a stand seeking autographs when he was struck on the left side of his head by a ball thrown by an Angels pitcher.
The suit, filed at Orange County Superior Court, seeks unspecified damages, including compensation for medical costs and loss of future earnings. The family claims the boy has not recovered from the injury and has since struggled with schoolwork.
“For three days, we didn’t know if my son was going to live or die,” Bryson’s mother, Beatrice Galaz, said in a statement.
The Angels have not extended protective netting all the way down the foul lines, as some rival LMB teams have. According to the LA Times, courts generally defer to the so-called “Baseball Rule,” under which fans assume the risk of injuries that result from attending a game.
Last year, MLB chiefs reached a confidential settlement with a fan who was struck in the face with a baseball while attending a Chicago Cubs game at Wrigley Field in 2018. Laiah Zuniga claimed she was hit because Wrigley Field had not extended netting that protects fans from foul balls all the way down the third base line, where she was sitting.
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