Albert Almora Jr of the Chicago Cubs is comforted after checking on a young child that was struck by a hard foul ball off his bat. Photo / Getty Images
Albert Almora Jr of the Chicago Cubs is comforted after checking on a young child that was struck by a hard foul ball off his bat. Photo / Getty Images
The 2-year-old girl who was hit by a foul ball at a Houston Astros game in May suffered a fractured skull and had a seizure, a news release about the injury and child's medical condition stated. The girl also suffered associated subdural bleeding, brain contusions and brain edema.
The child was rushed from the game to a hospital, where she had the seizure and remained for several days, according to the release. She is taking medication to prevent seizures and continues to recover at home.
"The Astros continue to send our thoughts and prayers to the young girl and her family," the Astros said in a statement. "We continue to respect the family's request for privacy and have no further comment at this time."
A 2-year-old girl is rushed from the stands after being hit by a hard foul ball off the bat of Albert Almora Jr at the Houston Astros' Minute Maid Park. Photo / Getty Images
The child's family has been consulting with Houston attorney Richard Mithoff about the injury, stated the release, which was sent from Mithoff's office. Mithoff sent a letter to Astros owner Jim Crane, letting the organisation know he had been retained, along with another attorney, to represent the girl's family. The letter to the Astros also included details on the girl's injuries and condition.
"The Astros' risk management representative reached out to the family, and now that the family is represented by counsel, I wanted to let the other side know that I am involved so that they can get in touch with me," Mithoff told the Houston Chronicle. "It's not unusual to let the other party know when one party has retained counsel."
The Chicago White Sox and Washington Nationals have this season announced plans to extend safety netting down to both foul poles amid concerns about fan safety. Dodgers President and CEO Stan Kasten has said his team will extend the netting at Dodger Stadium.
The Astros said Tuesday that they will conduct their own study of adding extra netting at Minute Maid Park and would not commit to extending it this season.
"We are going to look at what options we could have, potentially for the end of the season but not necessarily during this season," Astros senior vice president of marketing and communications Anita Sehgal said, according to the Chronicle.
In a phone interview with The Washington Post on Wednesday night, Mithoff called Crane a "very responsible owner."
"And I hope and I believe moving forward that Jim will make the right decisions," he said.
The girl was sitting on her grandfather's lap when she was hit in the back of the head by a foul ball during a game against the Chicago Cubs at Minute Maid Park in late May.
Albert Almora, the Cubs player who hit the foul ball, crouched at home plate and was consoled by teammate Jason Heyward and Cubs manager Joe Maddon. Shortly afterward, he went to the section where the girl was hit and was consoled by a member of the stadium's security staff.
Albert Almora Jr was visibly upset after the incident. Photo / Getty Images
"Obviously, I want to put a net around the whole stadium," Almora said after the game.
The girl's family has a "concern about making sure this doesn't happen again," Mithoff told The Post.
When asked whether the family wants the Astros to pay for the child's medical bills, Mithoff said that he is giving the family some space as she recovers, but that they will "discuss possible options moving forward" in the future.
"I want to give (the Astros) a chance to make the right decision," Mithoff told The Post, when asked whether he was disappointed that the team had not yet committed to extending the netting. "I'll just leave it at that."
