AP

Lawsuit: Boy’s brain damaged by errant Angel Stadium throw

Apr 7, 2022, 1:39 AM | Updated: 4:21 pm

Attorney Keith Bruno, left, and Kyle Scott, representing the Galaz family, hold up a photo of Bryso...

Attorney Keith Bruno, left, and Kyle Scott, representing the Galaz family, hold up a photo of Bryson Galaz and imaging of his skull during a press conference in Anaheim, Calif. on Thursday, April 7, 2022. The mother of Bryson Galaz, who was accidentally hit in the head with a baseball thrown by a Los Angeles Angels pitcher warming up before a game, has filed a lawsuit against the team. Beatrice Galaz says in the lawsuit announced Thursday that the team's negligence led to the traumatic brain injury suffered by her then-6-year-old son at Angel Stadium in September 2019. (AP Photo/Amy Taxin)

(AP Photo/Amy Taxin)

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — A 6-year-old boy suffered a fractured skull and brain damage when he was accidentally hit by a baseball thrown by a Los Angeles Angels player who was warming up before a 2019 game, according to a lawsuit announced Thursday that blames the injury on the team’s negligence.

The lawsuit by the boy’s mother Beatrice Galaz said the team should have more netting along the side of the field and players shouldn’t throw balls during warmups in areas where spectators could be struck, especially when the team is encouraging fans to arrive early to try to meet players.

On Sept. 15, 2019, her son Bryson was walking with his father in the first row of stadium seating toward the dugout, where players were meeting fans and signing autographs more than an hour and a half before the game, the lawsuit said. He was struck on the side of the head when pitcher Keynan Middleton, who was warming up on the field, threw a ball toward another Angels player who missed the catch.

Bryson was rushed to the emergency room in critical condition and sent to a children’s hospital for monitoring for 2 1/2 days, said Kyle Scott, the family’s lawyer. Since then, Bryson — now in third grade — has done fine academically but has difficulties paying attention and with social interaction, and medical exams show abnormal brain activity, which raises concerns about his longer-term development, especially as school subjects become more complex, Scott said.

“We’re grateful that he pulled through, but since that day he has struggled in school,” Galaz, of Anaheim, said in a statement released Thursday. “He’s simply not the same.”

The Angels declined to comment on the litigation.

“No parties have reached out to us regarding this lawsuit,” said Angels spokesperson Marie Garvey. “We have only been made aware of this by the media, so we are unable to comment at this time.”

The lawsuit filed April 1 was announced on opening day for Major League Baseball at a news conference near Angel Stadium, where the Angels were due to host the Houston Astros later in the day.

Getting a baseball at an MLB game is a signature event for any fan but it can come with a cost. While very rare, fans sometimes suffer serious injuries from balls or even bats that fly into the stands. Angel Stadium and other major league parks have expanded protective netting in recent years to increase safety.

In 2015, MLB encouraged teams to have netting or screens that extend in a semi-circle between the ends of the dugouts closest to home plate. That push increased in 2017, and by opening day 2018, all 30 ballparks had netting that reached at least that far.

At the end of 2019, the league said some teams would extend the netting. That’s the same year a 79-year-old woman died four days after being hit in the head by a foul ball that sailed over protective netting at Dodger Stadium. It was believed to be the first foul ball death at an MLB stadium since 1970, when another Dodger Stadium fan was killed.

Scott, the family’s attorney, said since Bryson’s injury, Angel Stadium has extended netting a section beyond the dugout but that would not have prevented the accident. Extending it farther down the foul line and not having players warm up by throwing the ball in the direction of stadium seating could have made a difference, he said.

Keith Bruno, another attorney for the family, said it was not immediately known how fast the ball was traveling when Bryson was struck. While event tickets often include a liability disclaimer, Bruno said he did not believe that would apply to an availability before the game that the team encouraged fans to attend.

“This is not about putting kids in a bubble or ensuring the safety of everybody that comes to the ballpark,” Bruno said. “This is about taking common sense measures and protecting the most vulnerable that we have from known dangers.”

Middleton, who is not a target of this lawsuit, left the Angels as a free agent after the 2020 season when the club declined to offer him a new contract. He is pitching in the Arizona Diamondbacks’ minor league system.

After the incident, Middleton went over to check on a crying Bryson and the team called for help. An Angels official followed up with an email but when the family requested help with medical bills no one replied, Scott said.

The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages and coverage of medical costs and loss of future earnings.

___

Associated Press writer Greg Beacham contributed to this report.

Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

AP

Image: A cargo ship is stuck under the part of the structure of the Francis Scott Key Bridge after ...

Associated Press

Authorities identify 2 bodies recovered at site of Baltimore bridge collapse

A major bridge in Baltimore snapped and collapsed after a container ship rammed into it early Tuesday, and several vehicles fell into the river below.

19 hours ago

Photo: Mountaineer Jim Whittaker has died at 95....

Gene Johnson, The Associated Press

Lou Whittaker, among the most famous American mountaineers, has died at age 95

Lou Whittaker, a legendary American mountaineer who helped lead ascents of Mount Everest, K2 and Denali, has died at age 95.

20 hours ago

File photo: Former Sen. Joe Lieberman speaks in Washington on Jan. 18, 2024....

Associated Press

Former Sen. Joe Lieberman, Democrats’ VP pick in 2000, dead at 82

Former U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut, who nearly won the vice presidency on the Democratic ticket with Al Gore in 2000, has died.

20 hours ago

islamic state attack...

Vanessa Gera, The Associated Press

What we know after the Islamic State group claims responsibility for Moscow massacre

The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for an attack on a suburban Moscow concert hall that killed at least 133 people.

4 days ago

Moscow shooting...

The Associated Press

Russia: 60 dead, 145 injured in concert hall raid; Islamic State group claims responsibility

Assailants burst into a concert hall in Moscow on Friday and sprayed the crowd with gunfire, killing over 60 people, injuring more than 100.

6 days ago

Photo: Britain's Kate, Duchess of Cambridge visits 282 (East Ham) Squadron, RAF Air Cadets, Cornwel...

Associated Press

Kate Middleton announces she has cancer, is undergoing chemotherapy

Kate Middleton, Princess of Wales, says she is undergoing chemotherapy to treat cancer. She has been out of view since Christmas.

6 days ago

Lawsuit: Boy’s brain damaged by errant Angel Stadium throw