Family of N.J. boy claims he suffered a brain injury during a game at ‘dangerous’ Cooperstown ballpark.
A Westfield family is suing a New York baseball park, claiming inadequate care after their 12-year-old son sustained a brain injury during a youth baseball game.
In July 2022, 12-year-old Anthony Labin was brought in to pitch during the fifth inning of a game at Cooperstown Dreams Park when he was hit in the head by a ball, according to a lawsuit filed Thursday in New York County Supreme Court.
According to the lawsuit, Anthony collapsed on the field and was unresponsive.
The family claims that the baseball park in Cooperstown, New York, permits the use of unregulated aluminum and composite bats and matches teams with varying skill levels against one another.
“Cooperstown Dreams Park’s emphasis on high-scoring games and home runs created a situation where players were frequently placed in dangerous circumstances on the field, further worsened by the absence of staff with proper medical or first aid training,” said the family’s attorney, David Buchanan.
“Cooperstown Dreams Park failed Anthony and his family at almost every stage, both before and after the incident,” he added.
Cooperstown Dreams Park officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The lawsuit also claims that Anthony remained on the field for a significant amount of time before any staff member arrived to assist and that the park’s staff lacked proper medical or first aid training.
According to the lawsuit, the park’s director of operations instructed both teams to continue playing, but the players refused, leading to the game being suspended.
Labin was hospitalized for five weeks and suffered a traumatic brain injury, the lawsuit states.
“The events that led to our son’s severe injuries could have been easily avoided if Cooperstown Dreams Park had prioritized the safety of its young players,” said Ron Labin, Anthony’s father.
“We are grateful that Anthony is still with us, but he will have to live with the consequences of Cooperstown’s decisions for the rest of his life,” he added. “We hope to prevent any other family from experiencing a similar situation.”
The lawsuit also mentions that the 200-acre baseball park hosted over 1,100 youth baseball teams during a 15-week schedule in 2022, earning more than $24 million from registration fees alone.
