Family of boy whose skull was fractured by errant ball at Angel Stadium sues Angels

The household of a boy whose cranium was fractured by a baseball at Angel Stadium three years in the past has sued the Angels, claiming the crew was negligent by not defending followers as gamers warmed up earlier than a recreation.

Bryson Galaz, then 6 years outdated, had scampered to the entrance of the field-level field seats down the third-base line the place followers gathered to pursue autographs and pictures with gamers. In accordance with the go well with, a ball thrown wildly by pitcher Keynan Middleton struck Bryson within the left aspect of the pinnacle.

“For 3 days, we didn’t know if my son was going to stay or die,” Bryson’s mom, Beatrice Galaz, mentioned in a press release. “We had been relieved that he survived, however since that day he has struggled in class. He’s merely not the identical.”

Bryson, who lives together with his household in Anaheim, is in third grade. The go well with seeks unspecified damages, together with compensation for medical prices and lack of future earnings.

It’s common for gamers to heat up within the outfield earlier than video games. The Angels haven’t prolonged protecting netting all the way in which down the foul traces, as some groups have.

Kyle Scott, an legal professional representing the Galaz household, mentioned the Angels nonetheless might have protected themselves and their followers just by asking the gamers to throw parallel to the third-base line, relatively than having a string of gamers straddle the road, with the stands behind them and throwing companions towards the center of the outfield.

“All they needed to do was change their formation,” Scott mentioned. “It’s not unforeseeable that someone goes to overlook a ball, and it’s going to be thrown exhausting sufficient to harm someone.”

Courts typically defer to the so-called “Baseball Rule,” below which followers assume the chance of accidents that outcome from attending a recreation. Scott mentioned he didn’t consider the court docket ought to throw out this case due to that rule.

“This isn’t a foul ball,” he mentioned. “It’s not a thrown bat. This isn’t a threat inherent to the game of baseball. The sport just isn’t occurring.”

The go well with was filed final Friday in Orange County Superior Courtroom.

“No events have reached out to us relating to this lawsuit,” Angels spokeswoman Marie Garvey mentioned. “We now have solely been made conscious of this by the media, so we’re unable to remark at the moment.”

Scott mentioned the Angels had not responded to 2 letters he despatched in 2021, every addressed to an Angel Stadium visitor expertise supervisor who had been on responsibility on the day of the incident. In accordance with that supervisor’s LinkedIn web page, he left the Angels in 2020.