For years, one of the many appeals of going to a Major League Baseball game has been the chance to make a catch of your own. All it takes is the right moment and a little bit of luck, and you could catch that ball right out of the air. However, for one 28-year-old woman, the dream of catching the ball wasn’t one she shared. So, when Laiah Zuniga was hit by a ball at Wrigley Field almost two years ago, the damage was significant.
Zuniga was six rows up from the field when a foul ball was hit, striking her in the face when she was chatting with a friend. This took place on the fifth inning of a match between the New York Mets and the Chicago Cubs. The individual suffered permanent damage to her eyesight, as well as damage to her sense of smell, taste, and also the condition of her teeth and nose. The injury also resulted in what is known as a spider fracture which extends down the face of Zuniga.
Speaking about the incident, Zuniga said: “My friend and I were sitting along the third baseline, eating food, when a foul ball hit me in the face in the fifth inning. The ball knocked me unconscious. And when I awoke, my beef sandwich was the only thing I had to catch the waterfall of blood running down my face.”
The force of the hit was such that her teeth were actively detached from the nerves, meaning that she lost several teeth even after undergoing significant dental work. Representing Zuniga is Clifford Law Offices, who said in the claim: “Major League Baseball and the Cubs were aware that severe injuries from foul balls could happen to its fans sitting in rows near the field because it had happened many times before,” her attorney, Trace Brammeier, said.
“Just late last year the MLB announced that all 30 teams would extend netting from foul pole to foul pole this year, but it’s too late for Laiah.”
The filing claims that more than 1,700 fans have been victim to baseballs entering the stands at high speeds. However, Zuniga made clear that despite the intensity of the situation and the horrible circumstances that it had not dulled her support of the club, saying: “I’ll always be a Cubs fan.”
More to come as the case unfolds.
Citation
https://wbbm780.radio.com/articles/woman-sues-mlb-chicago-cubs-over-foul-ball-injury
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