Cubs, MLB sued after line drive foul ball leaves man blinded in one eye
A 60-year-old man is suing the Chicago Cubs and Major League Baseball after being struck by a foul ball that left him blind in his left eye.
According to the Chicago Sun Times, the lawsuit states that John “Jay” Loos was struck in the face by a line drive while sitting behind the first-base dugout during the Aug. 29 game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Wrigley Field. The impact left him with a broken nose and other facial injuries. He’s since endured three surgeries and is scheduled to undergo two more to address his injuries.
Loos, who filed the suit in Cook County Circuit Court on Friday, says it’s possible doctors will have to remove the eye and replace it with a prosthetic. He’s seeking more than $50,000 in damages.
A video posted to Twitter shows the incident as it happened.
Guy took it right to the dome on that foul ball in the cubs game.. #Ouch #Cubs @BarstoolBigCat pic.twitter.com/ScEkQattbQ
— John Lloyd (@John_K_Lloyd) August 30, 2017
Loos was attending the game with his son. He says he was aware of the dangers that come with sitting so close to the field, but still wasn’t prepared for a line drive getting on him that fast.
“I had no idea that you were subjected to such missiles and the rate of speed that a ball can come into the stands.”
Fan safety has become a major issue for MLB in recent years due to several incidents that have left fans injured. Three weeks after Loos’ injury at Wrigley Field, a one-year-old girl suffered serious injuries on a line drive foul ball at Yankee Stadium. The incident will result in the Yankees adding more protective netting next season. Several other teams plan to do the same, including the Cubs.
Loos added his voice to the many suggesting that MLB mandates protective netting at every ballpark. Commissioner Rob Manfred says efforts to do so will be doubled during the offseason.
“Over the past few seasons MLB has worked with our clubs to expand the amount of netting in our ballparks,” Manfred said in a statement following the Yankee Stadium incident. “In light of yesterday’s event, we will redouble our efforts on this important issue.”
Here’s hoping that whatever changes are made aren’t too late to save another fan from enduring what John Loos and others have.
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Mark Townsend is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at bigleaguestew@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
