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Boy left deaf in one ear after line drive; family sues bat maker
Chicago Sun-Times ^ | 12/8/2010 | NATASHA KORECKI

Posted on 12/08/2010 10:40:44 AM PST by toma29

It was just another Little League game.

The pitcher had just thrown two strikes. But when the next pitch was hurled, the batter smashed it and sent a line drive straight into the pitcher.

For 11-year-old Jake Schutter of Mokena, the moment forever changed his life.

Standing on the pitcher’s mound, the ball crashed into the left side of his head.

He dropped to the ground and began to vomit.

He later learned he would be permanently deaf in one ear. And his family is still unsure of the full extent of cognitive damage the incident caused, according to a lawsuit filed in federal court Tuesday.

Jake’s family blames not the batter, but the bat.

It was an Easton BT265, and most signficantly, it was metal.

(Excerpt) Read more at suntimes.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: baseball; law; lawsuits; legal
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To: toma29

why not the ball maker?


21 posted on 12/08/2010 10:58:26 AM PST by NonValueAdded (Palin 2012: don't retreat, just reload)
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To: SandRat
How the heck did we Sexagenarians manage to grow up without a Nanny State?

I was talking to my grandmother (who lived to age 96) about her early days, migrating to Indian Territory in a covered wagon, raising a family of six on a farm with no modern conveniences, and such like.

I asked "GrandMama, how were you able to raise a big family in conditions like that?"

She replied "I don't know, but it sure a sturdy old woman out of me."

22 posted on 12/08/2010 10:58:43 AM PST by Ole Okie (American.)
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To: toma29
It was an Easton BT265, and most signficantly, it was metal.

And if it was a wood bat there was the risk that it could shatter and send a shard through the pitcher.

I really am surprised that they don't require all players in little league to wear helmets instead of just the batter and catcher.

23 posted on 12/08/2010 10:58:53 AM PST by KarlInOhio (All monopolies are detestable, but the worst of all is the monopoly of education. -Frederic Bastiat)
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To: toma29

There are warnings on bats. Did these parents not know that there is a possibility of getting his with a baseball or even a bat when playing baseball or when watching from the other side of the fence? Would the child have reacted in time from a bat with less ‘pop?’ It is a risky sport. I do think about it when my children are pitching and/or catching. It’s like knowingly playing Russian roulette with my children’s lives. I also worry when they’re playing football. I guess I should worry when they’re playing basketball, too. Sports are dangerous. Bats are dangerous. Wooden bats are dangerous. Wasn’t there a first base coach who was killed in the last few years in the minor leagues because a ball off a wooden bat hit him in the head? I may be misremembering.


24 posted on 12/08/2010 10:59:00 AM PST by petitfour (Are you a Dead Fish American?)
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To: SandRat
How the heck did we Sexagenarians manage to grow up without a Nanny State?

I don't know, but now that its here, they'll make sure it doesn't happen again.

25 posted on 12/08/2010 10:59:19 AM PST by mountn man (The pleasure you get from life, is equal to the attitude you put into it.)
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To: Ole Okie

“It sure made a sturdy old woman out of me.”


26 posted on 12/08/2010 10:59:56 AM PST by Ole Okie (American.)
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To: SandRat

“How the heck did we Sexagenarians manage to grow up without a Nanny State? “

I’d like to know how you allowed the nanny state to be created.


27 posted on 12/08/2010 11:01:00 AM PST by driftdiver (I could eat it raw, but why do that when I have a fire.)
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To: toma29
This is a heart-breaking story coming out of Illinois. I can say that, over here in MA, I'm going through some emotional distress just thinking of the tragedy.

Needless to say, I will be suing the newspaper that printed the story.

28 posted on 12/08/2010 11:02:28 AM PST by ClearCase_guy
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To: toma29

We need Lawyer Control badly!

While its sad that this kid is injured, its just as much his own fault as anyone else’s for not knowing how to play such an active infield position.

Line drives go toward pitchers frequently.


29 posted on 12/08/2010 11:03:20 AM PST by editor-surveyor (Obamacare is America's kristallnacht !!)
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To: driftdiver

“How the heck did we Sexagenarians manage to grow up without a Nanny State? “

I’d like to know how you allowed the nanny state to be created.


Ouch!!!


30 posted on 12/08/2010 11:04:01 AM PST by PeterPrinciple ( Seeking the truth here folks.)
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To: toma29

They are missing a bet by not suing the owner of the land where the tree grew that provided the wood that was fabricated into the bat.


31 posted on 12/08/2010 11:05:33 AM PST by Iron Munro (This is our culture; fight for it. This is our flag; pick it up. This is our country; take it back.)
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To: toma29

Typical liberal garbage. Humans are not responsible for their actions. Inanimate objects are and the companies that make them.


32 posted on 12/08/2010 11:07:47 AM PST by Leftism is Mentally Deranged (Liberalism is against human nature. Practicing liberalism is detrimental to your mental stability.)
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To: ClearCase_guy

> “Needless to say, I will be suing the newspaper that printed the story.”

.
And I will be suing them too for the emotional stress of seeing my FRiend ClearCase_guy suffer so....


33 posted on 12/08/2010 11:08:39 AM PST by editor-surveyor (Obamacare is America's kristallnacht !!)
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To: toma29
While I'm sad for the boy, I disagree with the parents. There are risks inherent in living and in many of the activities we enjoy. Unless the injury was intentional, I see no moral basis for a lawsuit.

When my boys played in Little League, we saw some overly aggressive players from time to time. I remember one in particular who would intentionally hit the pitcher and take great pleasure in it. He thought it was a riot when he hit a pitcher in the groin. Even in those cases, however, it's not the bat manufacturer who is at fault.

What these cases teach us is the value of protective equipment and staying alert. Our son thought we were being silly and over-protective when we insisted that he wear a hard cup . . . until he saw the pitcher take a direct hit in the groin. No more argument.

34 posted on 12/08/2010 11:11:12 AM PST by Think free or die
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To: Iron Munro

It was a metal bat, have to sue mother earth I suppose.


35 posted on 12/08/2010 11:11:37 AM PST by Shimmer1 (Froggie sez water nice and warm)
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To: toma29

If you let your kid lpay any type of sports you know there is a chance of getting hurt....walking across the street can get you killed. When did we become a nation of lawsuits?


36 posted on 12/08/2010 11:12:01 AM PST by Jewels1091
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To: toma29

They should print large orange warning labels on every baseball:

WARNING: May cause injury. Do not attempt to catch this baseball with your head.


37 posted on 12/08/2010 11:12:10 AM PST by Kandy Atz ("Were we directed from Washington when to sow and when to reap, we should soon want for bread.")
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To: toma29

I was going to say, probably the bat was made in China. But I find that it was made in California. No doubt this lawsuit will drive them out of the state like everyone else.

http://www.answers.com/topic/easton-sports-inc


38 posted on 12/08/2010 11:12:25 AM PST by Cicero (Marcus Tullius.)
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To: toma29

The kid’s dad likely begged the coach to let his kid pitch and now he was to hit the lottery.

Merry Christmas


39 posted on 12/08/2010 11:13:10 AM PST by bray (Sarah Palin will destroy the Repub Party, hopfully!)
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To: toma29
Big topic in baseball right now are the “hot” metal bats. College has adopted new rules for this year that severely limit the speed at which a ball can leave the bat; trying to make metal bats more like wood. High school will adopt the rules next year. I don't have an issue with the new bat rules but anyone who thinks the risk of injury will be taken out of the game is as crazy as suing the bat manufacturers is.

Two years ago in a high school game I was coaching my 10th grade pitcher throwing about 75 mph had a pitch get away from him and hit the batter, who had turned and ducked, on the brain stem. After 45 min of life saving first aid the boy was life flighted out and died 2 days later. 2 weeks later one of my players got nailed right on the ear flap of the helmet by a pitch that was 91 mph on the gun; he got up and trotted down to 1st. Sometimes things just happen.

It ordeal was terrible for everyone, the coaches, my players (especially the pitcher), the fans, the other team, the kid's parents but no one ever talked about suing. The player's parents sought out my pitcher to tell him they didn't blame him, that it was an accident, and that he should keep on playing. I have always been impressed with the class and grace those parents showed at the most difficult of times; when I read about this lawsuit I'm even more impressed.

40 posted on 12/08/2010 11:13:57 AM PST by fungoking (Tis a blessing to live in the Ozarks.)
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