Young Girl May Suffer From Permanent Brain Injury After Being Hit at Astros Game

A young child is rushed from the stands after being injured by a hard foul ball off the bat of Albert Almora the Chicago Cubs player in the fourth inning at Minute Maid Park in Houston, Texas, on May 29, 2019. (Bob Levey/Getty Images)

After the passage of more than seven months, a young girl who was struck by a foul ball at a Houston Astros game still suffers from a continual brain injury.

A foul ball hit a 2-year-old girl in the head at an Astros game on May 29 and fractured her skull. She has been undergoing treatment due to the brain injury since May and may continue to suffer from seizures, said attorney Richard Mithoff who is representing the girl’s family, Houston Chronicle reported.

Mithoff said a part of the child’s brain was damaged after she was struck by a sharply hit foul ball from Chicago Cubs player Albert Almora at Minute Maid Park.

Consequently, she has to continue her anti-seizure medication and will likely need to be on medication for the rest of her life, he added.

Mithoff said the girl’s central nervous system was also affected by her brain damage to the extent that doctors said it is equivalent to a stroke, according to CNN.

The girl also suffers from staring spells, unresponsiveness, nightmares, and headaches, said doctors and the child’s parents, Houston Chronicle reported. 

Mithoff said doctors have not been able to determine if her brain damage has also affected her cognitive performance.

According to Mithoff, the girl is able to perform her daily routine, but her parents must be particularly cautious with her. He said her parents take good care of her and she is blessed for having a family that is handling the situation well.

Almora immediately expressed an emotional reaction after the girl was struck. He was in tears. The first person he locked eyes on after he hit the ball was the small girl, Almora told reporters after the game, The New York Times reported.

Albert Almora (R) the Chicago Cubs player is comforted by his teammate (L) after checking on the young child that was injured by a hard-foul ball off his bat in the fourth inning against the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park, in Houston, Texas, on May 29, 2019. (Bob Levey/Getty Images)

“Right now, I’m just praying and I’m speechless. I’m at a loss for words,” he told reporters.

This episode once more brought into question the issue of ballpark safety that Major League Baseball (MLB) has been struggling with in recent years.

A young girl was also hospitalized in September 2017 at Yankee Stadium after she was hit by a foul ball. She suffered severe facial fractures and brain bleeding.

In another tragedy, a 79-year-old fan lost her life in 2018 after being hit by a foul ball at Los Angels Dodgers game.

To improve the safety at the ballparks, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said in December that all 30 teams in the league will have extended netting installed for the 2020 season. The netting will be extended beyond the far end of the dugout, according to CNN.