Spectator Sues Bristol Blues Over Injury From Broken Bat

A woman who says she was hit by part of a broken bat is suing the Bristol Blues baseball team and the city.

The woman contends the team and the city were negligent for letting fans get so close to games that they could be struck by pieces of a shattered bat.

Doreen Chudoba said in the lawsuit that she suffered a severe elbow injury two years ago while attending a game at Muzzy Field, according to the lawsuit. She was in the grandstand when a hitter’s bat shattered during a game; a piece of it hurtled through the air and ripped into her elbow, the lawsuit claims.

The lawsuit in Milford Superior Court seeks an unspecified amount in damages.

The suit contends the team and the city were negligent for not putting up safety netting to protect spectators. The subject of ballpark netting got national attention three years ago when Tonya Carpenter, a fan at a Boston Red Sox game, suffered a brain injury when part of a bat hit her head at an estimated 110 mph.

The Blues’ general manager, Brian Rooney, and attorney Thomas Gerarde, who is representing the city, could not be reached Friday. The Blues, a summer collegiate league team, uses the city-owned Muzzy Field for its summer schedule.

Chudoba and her husband, Kenneth, were sitting along the first-base side during the June 6, 2016, game against the Worcester Bravehearts when a batter hit a pitch and his bat shattered, sending shards into the spectator area hard enough to break bone, according to the lawsuit.

Chudoba’s attorney, Francis Teodosio of Shelton, argues that the city was negligent for not putting up safety netting to protect spectators whose seats are close enough to be at risk.

The lawsuit contends that Chudoba lost range of motion in her arm and required surgery. It says the injury permanently scarred her elbow and arm, caused her to lose time from her job, and has left her with “pervasive fear” when she attends sports events.

Her husband is also a plaintiff. He argues that he missed time with his wife because of her injuries, and also suffered emotional distress because he saw the injury happen.