Girl hit by foul ball at Astros game had skull fracture: Lawyer

Thursday, June 27, 2019

$Girl hit by foul ball at Astros game had skull fracture: Lawyer$

PREVIOUS VIDEO: An attorney representing the young fan's family says the girl also had seizures following the May 2019 incident.

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- A young Astros fan is facing a long road to recovery weeks after being hit by a foul ball at Minute Maid Park.

The family has stayed very private since the game last month, but Wednesday, their attorney, Richard Mithoff, revealed the injury was far worse than anyone guessed.

Now, they want the Astros to step up like other teams after foul ball injuries and extend the netting in the ballpark.

Both the Chicago White Sox and Washington Nationals announced they will be extending safety netting from foul post to foul post, protecting fans from line drives, where they only have seconds to respond.

In this case, the family attorney tells us the 2-year-old hit at Minute Maid Park had likely only a second and a half to act.

It was nearly a month ago when a line drive from Chicago Cubs player Albert Almora Jr., flying at an estimated 100 miles an hour, hit the little girl.

Her grandfather jumped in to embrace her, taking her away crying and conscious, but her family attorney tells us she is not doing well.

"A skull fracture in the back of her head, subdural bleeding, brain contusions and brain edema which is swelling, she's had seizures," Mithoff said.

The toddler and her family were sitting in Section 111, directly next to Section 112, where the protective netting for foul balls ends.

The Astros organization extended that netting just two years ago, but now the debate continues. Should it extend further, from foul post to foul post?

"When you sit on the foul line you have to pay attention and be aware," says Astros fan Eric Burnside, "But, I mean, just for extra precaution it would be great to have a net from foul post to foul post, it would be awesome."

"Part of the fun and part of the excitement for us is we get to see both of my kids have their baseball gloves, and we go down and we watch batting practice and try to catch some of the foul balls from where we sit," fan Kevin Farrell said. "So I feel if that net was extended, that might take away from some of the fun as a little kid."

Some parents told ABC13 Eyewitness News they strategically buy their seats, concerned for foul ball safety.

"We take into consideration where we sit because we do bring the child and friends, and we need to make sure that if they're not paying attention that he is," fan Sondra Cortez said. "We're sitting up high to avoid that, but we would go back down towards the foul lines if they extended that net all the way for sure."

There is no lawsuit filed against the Astros for this injury, but the child's attorney hopes this will bring safety changes to the ball park.

"I know Jim Crane well enough to know that he is a very responsible owner, and I think Jim will do the right thing," Mithoff said.

The Astros organization has reached out to the family to share concern, but did not have a statement to release publicly tonight.

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A woman at Dodger Stadium was taken to a hospital for precautionary tests after being hit in the head by a foul ball from Dodger Cody Bellinger during Sunday's game against the Colorado Rockies.