Claim Case Studies & Legislation Home Run Baseball Hits a Pedestrian

As published in Ontario Recreation Facilities Association Inc. (ORFA) Facility Forum Fall 2016 - On a clear spring morning, a woman was walking her dog in a municipal park. She walked along a paved pathway that took her behind the outfield of a baseball park while a men's league game was taking place. While she was passing by the left field, a home run baseball was hit over the 1.8 m. high fence. The ball travelled an extra 20 metres over this fence and struck her in the head. She could not be seen by the batter because the path was lower than the field but the incident was witnessed by one of the outfielders. The woman did not lose consciousness but required many stitches to close her head wound and sustained a concussion. The walkway was open to the public and was owned and maintained by the municipality.