Woman sues Atlanta Braves and former star player she blames for ‘excruciating’ injury
A woman experienced “excruciating injury” to her eye after former Atlanta Braves outfielder Jorge Soler threw a ball into the crowd, a new lawsuit says.
The Georgia lawsuit names the Braves and Soler himself following the incident in which the woman says she was hit by the ball during Game 3 of the 2021 World Series.
The woman, her husband and her brother-in-law were seated in Section 109 in the right-field corner of Truist Park in Atlanta on Oct. 29, 2021, according to the lawsuit. Before the start of the fifth inning, Soler is accused of throwing the ball into the crowd, striking the woman.
McClatchy News obtained the lawsuit from WSB. The suit was filed Oct. 25 in Cobb County Superior Court.
The suit says Soler didn’t throw the ball softly, but rather “with great force, speed and intensity” in the woman’s direction, hitting her in the right eye.
She said she didn’t have time to react before she was hit. The impact caused “extensive and excruciating injury,” according to the lawsuit. Security escorted her to medical treatment, where photos and a report documented her injuries.
Those injuries included “multiple fractures, a right eye edema and infra-orbital abrasion,” according to the lawsuit. She says her injuries will require long-term medical care.
The woman also says the Braves were negligent. According to the lawsuit, she didn’t know about the “danger posed by the intentional and reckless conduct of Defendant Braves’ baseball players in between innings.”
McClatchy News could not immediately reach the Braves for comment.
Fans have sued baseball teams after facing injuries from foul balls. However, professional sports teams have relied on the “Baseball Rule,” which is the assumption of risk that fans take on when they go to games, according to The New York Times.
Because the ball was thrown by a player and was not a foul ball, it’s unclear whether that assumption of risk applies.
Soler was named World Series Most Valuable Player after the Braves defeated the Houston Astros in six games. Soler currently plays for the Miami Marlins.
McClatchy News reached out to the Marlins for comment and did not immediately hear back.
The woman’s husband is also suing for loss of consortium, a claim in personal injury lawsuits that involve a loss of “benefits that a familial or intimate relationship offers,” according to Forbes. This can refer to companionship, love and sexual intimacy.
The couple is seeking compensatory and punitive damages.
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