Chicago Cubs, MLB Sued By Fan After Being Hit by Foul Ball
By David Hill
After being hit in the face by a foul ball, a fan is set to sue the Chicago Cubs and MLB due to the injuries he suffered.
It was a matter of time before a fan was seriously injured by a foul ball. We saw the horrors of what a foul could do first hand when a Todd Frazier foul ball struck a young fan in the face, leading to an emergency trip to the hospital. However, that incident at Yankee Stadium was not the first one of the year.
Earlier in August, a 60 year old fan named John Loos was struck in the face by a foul ball at a Chicago Cubs game. He was also rushed to the hospital, where he had lost vision in his left eye. Five bones were shattered in his face, and he has since undergone multiple surgeries due to the damage he suffered.
Given the potential for injuries due to foul balls, it was a matter of time before someone sued a team, and/or MLB, after being struck with a foul ball. Loos has done exactly that, as he is suing the Cubs and MLB due to the lack of safety netting down the baselines. In doing so, he is hoping that the league will be forced to protect the fans at the games.
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Sitting down the baselines can be quite hazardous. Often times, during a game, a foul ball is ripped into the stands, as the announcers hope that everyone will be fine. Even if the fans are paying attention, they may not have the ability to react to those lined shots in time. As Loos said, it is hard to react in time to such missiles.
This lawsuit is exactly what MLB was attempting to avoid. After the young fan in Yankee Stadium was struck by that foul ball, the league strongly recommended that every team extend their netting. Several teams had agreed to do so afterwards, despite the objections of some of the fanbase. Now, depending on the outcome of the lawsuit, that decision may be out of the league’s hands.
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The Chicago Cubs and MLB are being sued by John Loos after he was struck by a foul ball. This may well be the beginning of a messy time in court if the game does not make changes with the safety netting.