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Brain-Damaged Little Leaguer Gets $14.5M In Metal Bat Lawsuit

(WSCR) A New Jersey teenager who was left with brain damage after he was struck by a line drive while playing in a youth baseball game will receive a $14.5 million settlement from his lawsuit against the bat manufacturer, Little League Baseball and a sporting goods chain.

Reports indicate the lawsuit for Steven Domalewski, now 18, was announced in state Superior Court on Wednesday morning in Passaic County.

"The Domalewskis are still saddened by the tragic events of June 2006, but this settlement provides them with some relief and comfort that Steven will get the care he needs for the rest of his life," said the family's attorney, Ernest Fronzuto. "He still can't perform any functions of daily life on his own."

Domalewski was pitching in a little league game when a line drive smacked of the bat and hit him in the chest. The ball hit just about his heart, at the precise time right in between heartbeats.

Domalewski clutched his chest before he fell down, went into cardiac arrest and stopped breathing. Medical personnel were immediately called, but the damage had already been done as the boy was without oxygen for 15 to 20 minutes.

 

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