Metal Bats
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080517/ap_on_re_us/bby_boy_s_baseball_injury
I honestly feel sorry for this family but what happened was just a freak accident. A wooden bat could have caused the same injury, sounds as though it wasn't the velocity of the ball but simply that the kid was hit between heart beats. Baseball pitchers routinely get hit by line drives, perhaps pitchers should wear protective gears like cathcher to protect themselves from harm.
It's going to take a lot of money to care for this boy and thats why they're trying this misguided lawsuit; which I strongly doubt will be won. I suspect that this will not go to trial or it'll be settled ou t of court or dismissed by a judge.
Comments
This isn't terribly ...
This isn't terribly simple, nor is it terribly complicated either. On the one hand, defense attorney says Domalewski's injury, called commotio cordis is more often caused by thrown balls than by batted ones. And that may very well be true. On the other hand, the Little League itself has already made a tacit admission: "Little League reached an agreement with the major manufacturers of metal bats in the early 1990s to limit the performance of metal bats to that of the best wooden bats. On its Web site, the league said injuries to its pitchers fell from 145 a year before the accord was reached to the current level of about 20 to 30 annually."
I still think it's wrong to sue in this case, that is at least if that bat was limited in performance to that of a wooden bat. The material it is made of would be of no consequence. However, if it was of higher performance than wooden ones, there could be a legitimate grievance based on the facts (that's facts, not emotion or opinion, and it all hinges on whether the bat had higher performance or not.).
I can't imagine anyone being cold hearted about the boy's injury and I certainly am as far from that as anyone could be. It makes me want to cry for him. If I knew him personally I guarantee I would, a lot. I tend to let it out when something bothers me that much and this bothers me. He's in a terrible way through no fault of his own. The lawsuit has nothing to do with that though. It's about what is right and what is wrong. That will be determined by the facts being brought to light. At this point we do not know if the facts support the claim. I tend to suspect that they do but will reserve judgment. I don't think they use metal bats simply because they last longer. Every sales pitch (no pun intended) that I have ever seen for a metal bat is about higher performance. Either way, a win for the plaintiffs' won't bring their son back to a normal life. It would help their financial pain though and perhaps "send a signal" to the bat manufacturer and the Little League that could spare future victims from such a life sentence as a semi-vegetable or worse.
I remember that first base ...
I remember that first base coach that died last year... he's the reason I don't play softball this year. I mean really, think about it - you have a ball coming at a pretty decent speed, I don't care what part of your body gets hit, it's going to hurt if not really screw something major up. Heck, we had a guy on our softball team last year go out because he got hit in the face with a ball that bounced off the ground... he had 6 teeth replaced.
There is no reason to be upset about what happens out there - I don't play because I KNOW what can happen. I wouldn't go play and then sue when I got hurt. What they hell did you expect when you have balls flying around at that speed?
Suing for this is like suing in Hockey for a losing a tooth...
i agree. its a lawsuit ...
i agree. its a lawsuit that shouldnt be. you play the game, expect certain concequences. grade school gym class. i think maybe 6th or 7th grade. we were playing a game where you had to throw a dodgeball(the soft squishy kind) at an opponent as they ran past you. someone managed to get a girls foot and she tripped right in front of me. landed on her face and broke her jaw. her scream was horrifying. we never played that game again and her parents never sued the school. it was an accident. granted, she healed. but same idea.
for the parents of this kid to not only sue the company that makes the bat but also the company the purchased the bat FROM!!? thats just bogus. they claim no responsibility on those products they sell. and why should they? theyre a distributor. thats it.
well, pray for my kids ...
well, pray for my kids this summer cuz they ALL are playing baseball/softball. that is very sad, but it was a freak accident but honestly if that had happened to one of my kids, I'd prob feel the same way.