Laiah Zuniga says she’s a lifelong Cubs fan but was especially excited to attend a game at Wrigley Field in August 2018 because, for the first time, she had a seat close to the field, just a few rows back.
She and a friend were sitting along the third base line when a foul ball hit by a Mets player smashed into her face, according to a lawsuit filed this week against the team and Major League Baseball.
“The blow knocked me unconscious,” Zuniga said in a statement released by her lawyers. “When I awoke, my beef sandwich was the only thing I had to catch the waterfall of blood running down my face.
“I suffered a spider fracture under both of my eyes," she said. “I have frequent bloody noses to this day, and my taste and smell have been permanently affected. I was hit so hard my teeth were detached from their nerves and I had to have extensive dental work done. And even then I still lost a few teeth in the process and am still losing them today.”
Her lawsuit contends that protective netting at the ballpark should have been extended to protect more spectators.
“MLB executives, including the commissioner, and players have acknowledged this danger posed to patrons,” the suit states. “Some players refuse to allow their loved ones to sit close to the field unless they are directly behind the netting. The players, through their union, have even demanded that the netting be extended.”
The lawsuit notes that after netting was erected in ballparks, “patrons like plaintiff Laiah Zuniga have continued to be seriously injured by baseballs being hit into the stands at high rates of speed, including on several occasions before the Aug. 27, 2018 incident at Wrigley Field.”
“In fact,” the suit adds, “MLB and the Cubs have increased the risk of injury to patrons not only by failing to extend the netting further, but also by including distractions during the game, increasing the pace of the game and encouraging the use of mobile devices during the game.”
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.ch...z6veplm3v6szoefjlju-story.html?outputType=amp
She and a friend were sitting along the third base line when a foul ball hit by a Mets player smashed into her face, according to a lawsuit filed this week against the team and Major League Baseball.
“The blow knocked me unconscious,” Zuniga said in a statement released by her lawyers. “When I awoke, my beef sandwich was the only thing I had to catch the waterfall of blood running down my face.
“I suffered a spider fracture under both of my eyes," she said. “I have frequent bloody noses to this day, and my taste and smell have been permanently affected. I was hit so hard my teeth were detached from their nerves and I had to have extensive dental work done. And even then I still lost a few teeth in the process and am still losing them today.”
Her lawsuit contends that protective netting at the ballpark should have been extended to protect more spectators.
“MLB executives, including the commissioner, and players have acknowledged this danger posed to patrons,” the suit states. “Some players refuse to allow their loved ones to sit close to the field unless they are directly behind the netting. The players, through their union, have even demanded that the netting be extended.”
The lawsuit notes that after netting was erected in ballparks, “patrons like plaintiff Laiah Zuniga have continued to be seriously injured by baseballs being hit into the stands at high rates of speed, including on several occasions before the Aug. 27, 2018 incident at Wrigley Field.”
“In fact,” the suit adds, “MLB and the Cubs have increased the risk of injury to patrons not only by failing to extend the netting further, but also by including distractions during the game, increasing the pace of the game and encouraging the use of mobile devices during the game.”
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.ch...z6veplm3v6szoefjlju-story.html?outputType=amp