Broken Baseball Bat, Injury and the Law

Broken baseball bats have been an area of concern for the baseball community in recent years. Over 1500 baseball bats have been broken in one season for the Major Baseball League. The Minor Baseball League has banned the use of light weight maple bats that tend to fracture when used by baseball players. Yet, maple bats are not the only type of bats that pose a risk of injury. There are heavy hitting hickory wood bats, flaking ash wood bats, and high performance aluminum bats that may cause injury. In fact, it is not only the pitchers, umpires and infielders that are at risk of injury from a broken bat, fans watching baseball games are also at risk of injury.

Baseball bat injury risks are easy to understand. Baseball bats may produce a 2500 pound force at a rate of over 100 milers per hour, translating into nearly 4/10’s of a second reaction time. The speed of the bat also plays a role in the risk of injury. The speed at which a ball can travel is approximately 90 miles per hour for a wooden bat and roughly 105 miles per hour for an aluminum bat.

Baseball Bat Risks

Baseball bat injuries can be serious and life threatening, including:

• Brain injury
• Cheekbone, nose, chin and forehead fractures
• Eye injury
• Broken body bones
• Spinal cord injury

Baseball bat risks may be considered an assumable risk, just like any other sport. However, bat manufacturers may be deemed responsible for injuries sustained by an individual due to a broken bat. Property owners such as stadiums may also be held accountable for injuries that relate to broken bats. For this reason, it is important to seek out the advice of a personal injury lawyer if you are injured by a broken bat. If the lawyer finds that there is reasonable cause for a defendant to be sued, a lawsuit can be filed against the responsible party to recover costs for medical care, loss of wages as well as loss of lifestyle habits and daily living skills.  The types of legal cases that may be presented in court, include:

• A thin handle bat that increases the risk of a player losing grip of the bat which can send the bat into the wrong direction to hit a victim.
• Inferior wood materials that create a risk of the bat sheering apart and hitting a victim with wood splinters or chunks.
• An aluminum bat that explodes hitting a victim with fast driving parts.
• A bat that does not meet safety standards for the proper exit velocity so the ball comes off the bat so fast that the players and fans cannot react in a timely fashion to defend themselves from an incoming ball.

If you or a loved on has been seriously injured because of a broken bat, contact Burton Padove for a free consultation at 219-836-2200.