A California man is suing the Angels for unspecified damages after he was struck in the left eye and left blinded by a ball allegedly thrown into the stands during a game last season, multiple outlets reported.
David Mermelstein attended a June 22, 2022, game against the Royals at Angels Stadium with friends when the incident in question took place.
Sitting in the left field stands, Mermelstein, 55, was eating peanuts at the end of the top of the sixth inning when former Angels outfielder — and ex-Met — Juan Lagares allegedly threw the final out into the bleachers.
It’s unclear how Lagares got the ball at the end of that inning, as the final out of that frame was a double play on the infield.
According to KTLA, citing the civil complaint, Mermelstein was struck at “high velocity,” and while he later underwent surgery, he was left blinded in his left eye.
Mermelstein already was afflicted with severe keratoconus in his right eye and had considered his left eye his better one, the complaint said.
Despite MLB tickets saying teams are not responsible for any injuries holders may incur, Mermelstein’s lawyer Rob Marcereau ripped the disclaimer.
“That’s not the law here in California,” the attorney said, KTLA reported. “I understand there’s a risk when there’s a batted ball, a foul ball or a home run, but this accident, this happened when play was stopped.”
In a similar case in New York from 2017, a fan struck by a foul ball at a Yankees game and incurred $160,000 in medical bills had no such luck with his lawsuit.
A four-judge appeals court ruled that he should have better heeded the warnings on his ticket about the dangers of balls potentially going into the stands.
The current complaint against the Angels, according to the OC Register, also called out Lagares for throwing the ball with “force” on its way 10 rows up.
“Randomly hurling a baseball into a crowd of people is neither reasonable nor safe,” the complaint said.
The Angels declined comment, according to multiple outlets.