The family of a 2-year-old girl who was struck in the head by a foul ball at a baseball game last month has released new details about her injuries.
The girl, who was sitting on a relative's lap when she was hit, suffered a skull fracture along with subdural bleeding, brain contusions and brain edema, a spokesperson for the family said in a news release on Wednesday. She was hospitalized for several days, during which time she had a seizure, but is now on medication to prevent further seizures and is recovering from her injuries at home.
At the Houston Astros game against the Chicago Cubs at Houston's Minute Maid Park on May 29, a hard foul ball hit by Cubs outfielder Albert Almora Jr. traveled down the third baseline and struck the girl in the head.
Photos showed Almora, 25, sinking to his knees, visibly distraught, after he realized what had happened. A man who was with the girl immediately rushed her up the stairs and out of the stadium.
The family, who have asked for privacy, said they hope to have more information about the "residual effects" of the girl's injuries in July. They've hired an attorney, who said in a letter to the Astros, obtained by NBC News, that they appreciate the concern the team and fans have shown, and that their "primary focus at this time is on their daughter's well-being."
The family was sitting in section 111 at the stadium, just one section outside of the area where safety nets are installed.
Many baseball fans have sustained injuries because of foul balls. Just last weekend, a young woman was hospitalized after she was hit in the face by a foul ball at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, the same stadium where a 79-year-old woman was killed after being hit in the head by a ball last year.
In 2015, Major League Baseball issued recommendations for teams to extend safety netting from dugout to dugout. But these continued incidents have prompted some teams to go beyond those recommendations. The Chicago White Sox, Texas Rangers and Washington Nationals have all announced plans to extend the safety nettings at their stadiums.
After the May 29 incident, Almora said he immediately locked eyes with the little girl after the ball struck her.
"I'm speechless, at a loss for words," he said, adding he's a father of two boys and hopes he can have a relationship with the girl as she recovers. "But just prayers right now and that's all I really can control."
