¾ÅÉ«

Michigan Court Tosses Softball Injury Lawsuit

July 22, 2011

The Michigan appeals court has ruled in favor of a man who accidentally struck a young Muskegon County girl in the face with a softball during practice.

Emily French lost at least four teeth and had her jaw wired shut after being hit by a line drive while on the pitcher’s mound in 2008. She was 10 at the time.

John MacArthur was a parent volunteering at practice. He was trying to hit the ball to the outfield but hit Emily instead. The appeals court said MacArthur may have been negligent but his conduct wasn’t reckless — a key standard under Michigan law.

Emily’s lawyer Geoffrey Nolan said he was suing MacArthur for medical bills. He said the girl’s future medical needs are estimated at $25,000.

Topics Lawsuits Michigan

Was this article valuable?

Here are more articles you may enjoy.

Latest Comments

  • July 22, 2011 at 4:20 pm
    Bob Bichen says:
    A wilful, wanton, or intentional standard is pretty common in fellow participant injury situations (and is needed). Without such reasonable constraints we could find our team... read more
  • July 22, 2011 at 2:34 pm
    DP says:
    its just awful what happened to this little girl, but it is an assumed risk being at certain functions, including baseball games.
  • July 22, 2011 at 2:19 pm
    LC says:
    This is why face masks should be mandated for all infielders in softball! My daughter plays and never steps on the infield without hers on!

Add a CommentSee All Comments (7)Add a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*

More News
More News Features