LOS ANGELES (KCAL) — A man has filed a lawsuit against the Los Angeles Angels after he was allegedly blinded by a baseball that was thrown into the bleachers by one of the players.
According to the lawsuit, David Mermelstein went to an Angels game on June 22, 2022, after enduring a difficult time in his life. His attorney claimed that his friends decided to cheer him up with a day at the ballpark after his father died and Mermelstein was diagnosed with brain cancer.
The friends were enjoying the day out, basking in the sun while sitting in the outfield of Angel Stadium until the sixth inning came around. In the lawsuit, Mermelstein claims Angels outfield Juana Lagares caught the final out of the inning.
Typically, players will often toss the ball into the stands as a souvenir for the fans. However, lawyers said Lagares “hurled the ball in the stands at a high velocity.” They also claimed that he had a “cannon for an arm.”
Mermelstein claimed that he looked down to eat some peanuts but when he looked up the ball hit him right in the face. His lawyers claim the baseball hit him with so much force it crushed his eyeball.
The impact has left him disfigured and permanently blind in his left eye.
While there is a tenet dubbed “The Baseball Rule,” which states that fans should be aware of the risks of things like foul balls and broken bats and that it’s their responsibility to stay safe in the stands, Mermelstein’s attorneys said that it does not apply for this instance.
Mermelstein’s lawyers said that play had stopped after Lagares caught the final out and voluntarily threw the ball into the stands.
The Angels said they do not comment on pending litigation.
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