Chicago Cubs: ‘The blow knocked me unconscious.’

A Chicago Cubs fan sued the team and the MLB for being struck by a foul ball. It was a horrific experience for her.

A Chicago Cubs fan, Laiah Zuniga, was excited she and a friend was so close to the action. She was just a few rows back, living the good life. Then it wasn’t. A foul ball struck by a New York Mets player hit her face, according to the team and Major League Baseball.

It was not good. The blow knocked her unconscious. She suffered spider fractures under the eyes. She has frequent bloody noses, and her taste and smell have been permanently affected. And her teeth were detached from their nerves, losing teeth until this day.

Her reason? Protective netting should have been extended–which it was the following year. But not enough, the lawsuit states.

"“MLB executives, including the commissioner, and players have acknowledged this danger posed to patrons,” the suit states. “Some players refuse to allow their loved ones to sit close to the field unless they are directly behind the netting. The players, through their union, have even demanded that the netting be extended.”"

The lawsuit states that some teams have extended netting beyond what the MLB recommends–including the St. Louis Cardinals. The Cards had it extended to the far end of the dugout. Had MLB forced the Cubs to do something similar, Zuniga would not have been injured.

The netting has been a cause for concern. The clubs needed to go beyond the dugout, nothing less. The Cards went beyond the dugout and then some as other teams did. The Cubs? The end of the dugout, and that’s where they held their ground. Why?

The issue is foul balls. Everybody is ready for them, but they’re not prepared to catch it. Cell phones, social distractions, beer, etc. So you need to have the netting up. Otherwise, you’ll end up with the little girl who was struck by a foul ball by Albert Almora Jr. Almora was devastated by it. The two-year-old suffered a fracture and permanent brain damage.