Spectator Injured by Foul Ball Strikes Out at Fenway

June 10, 2004

  • June 10, 2004 at 2:18 am
    Kevin D says:
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    It is a shame this girl was permanently injured. Major league baseball should do something for her and every other fan that is seriously injured at a game. We all pay a lot of money to attend these games, and this isn’t the type of thing you ever want to see. I am a Yankee fan and am embarassed at the other comments made by some of you. We should just be happy with our record against the Sox and leave it at that! They have to live with it.

  • June 10, 2004 at 3:21 am
    Rico Suave says:
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    It’s hard to believe any of the posts have come from insurance professionals. A few points:

    1) Major League Baseball and the Red Sox are well aware of the number and severity of injuries that occur as the result of foul balls at baseball games. This is not an isolated incident. They choose to not protect the fans.

    2) The NHL had the same attitude until a fan died as a result of being struck in the head by a puck.

    3) The NHL, the team and the venue were sued by the child’s parents and paid in excess of $2,000,000 in order to settle the claim.

    4) The NHL decided to protect the fans by installing netting.

    5) If you are a Yankee fan, you might remember when Don Zimmer was struck in the head by a Derek Jeter foul ball while he was sitting in the dugout. The Yankees chose to install protective netting in front of their dugout to more adequately protect their coaches and players. They have not made any changes to provide more protection for the fans. The Yankees choose to protect their employees but not the fans who support the team?

    6) On another note, MLB does not require walk-through metal detectors which are standard at NHL and NBA games. If a terrorist is allowed into a Yankees game with a weapon and causes injuries, would your position change?

  • June 10, 2004 at 4:09 am
    Sportsguy says:
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    My apologies. I misspelled the girl’s name when doing my research. (Who spells Brittany with an ‘ie’ at the end??) The fact that her family received a settlement is irrelevant to this topic. Death is much different than disfigurement.

    My tolerance for this overly litigious society is at an end. Gross disfigurement or not, everyone who enters that game ‘should’ know that balls go into the stands. This is America, right? And it said in the article that she was in the upper box section. Now, I don’t know the layout of Fenway, but it doesn’t sound as if she was sitting directly behind the dugout where screaming liners are hit all the time.

    I’m certainly sympathetic to the fact that the woman has some permanent (physical, not mental, right?) damage. That is a shame, truly. But to say that the team is responsible and that she’s owed something (aside from maybe reimbursement for the medical bills) sets me off. What burns me up is that in today’s world, there are no accidents. There are no freak occurances. Someone has to be at fault whenever something goes wrong. I hate it.

    Incidentally, did you all hear that Roy Horn is suing Montecore?

  • June 11, 2004 at 7:52 am
    KOB says:
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    Part of the allure of attending a baseball game, opposed to sitting back in your comfy chair at home(and saving $30-$50/person) is the chance that you can catch a foul ball. Putting up a screen somewhat isolates the players from the fans, although it is not much of a hindrance to watching the game. fans want to be as close to the field as possible. Although I regret the fact that any person sustains an injury through no fault of their own, I do not think that the fault should be displaced on to the Red Sox. Why didn’t her friends warn her, when they knew she was ignorant (not used pejoratively)? What next?…. Was the batter negligent for “errantly” hitting the ball or letting the bat fly out of his hand? Wouldn’t be surprised if that sought of claim lands before a court.

  • June 11, 2004 at 11:34 am
    Wakefield49 says:
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    Mayhaps the next time she goes to a baseball game she’ll bring a glove and pay attention.

    This is obviously a case of someone with too much money buying good seats, thus making them not available for the average fan. Most Sox fans, after getting hit by a baseball, would frame the ball, know exactly who hit it, and tell the story 1000 times over the rest of their life.

    As for netting, it is both a) impractical and b) a pain to watch through. I’m a die hard hockey fan and I hate the netting with a passion. The puck is hard enough to follow as it is with its speed and size, and I don’t need to be searching through a black net for it as I sit behind the goal.

    And if you wonder why your tickets cost so much to go to these games…its exactly because of suits like these and the need to settle them.

  • June 11, 2004 at 11:51 am
    Jack Buck and Mike Shannon says:
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    We have become too litigious of a society where this is even being discussed at such lengths by insurance professionals.
    In life, both good and bad things occur and only some of them can legitimately be laid at the feet of others. We are responsible for taking care of ourselves in this world.
    And with all respects to Red Sox and Yankees fans, a Cardinals fan would have safely caught the ball, saving themselves and all around them.

  • June 12, 2004 at 12:02 pm
    T C says:
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    Like she belongs there in the first place! If you can’t catch or throw a baseball do not sit anywhere except behind home plate ladies. And please watch the ball!!!!

  • June 14, 2004 at 9:47 am
    Al O'Reilly says:
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    Wow! This is one of the most heated discussions I’ve seen on IJ. As many have said, we baseball fans assume risk when we enter the ballpark. Heck, most of us enjoy that adrenaline rush when the ball heads your way. Then, it’s up to you whether to leap for the ball or duck to avoid it. And, I’d rather assume the risk of injury than have to look through a screen at the ballgame. While I don’t every fan to be an expert all should realize that they have a responsibility to WATCH the game.

  • June 14, 2004 at 9:59 am
    Laura/Dodger Blue!!! says:
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    Jeez, I’m so sick of placing contractors, let’s talk baseball!

    Yeah, I remember a couple of times at minor league games seeing people in the front rows holding a baby on their lap and I had a hard time watching the game because I was worrying about that baby!

    We are such a litigious society…everyone wants to place the blame anywhere but on themselves, and that’s got us into the huge pricing/coverage mess we’re in now. I know I’m way too old for this…insurance was a lot easier a few decades ago!

  • June 14, 2004 at 1:26 am
    Yankee Fan says:
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    I agree this “crappy attitude” seems to persist everywhere these days…
    I am a Yankee Fan and proud of it…but the question is not about Sox fans vs. Yankee fans…leave that for the ball field…we are all BASEBALL fans and sure we do not want to see anyone hurt, but just like the ruling there are dangers you assume and take when entering a ball field, hockey rink or even a rock concert.



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