A foul ball travelling at full speed can turn a fun day at the ballpark into a trip to the hospital. “Parents will warn you, say it’s coming over but sometimes you can’t duck away,” said umpire Paul Rockery from London, Ont. There are new concerns about safety at some ball diamonds after a spectator was struck and sent to hospital during a provincial fastball tournament held at Mic Mac Park this past weekend. A line shot foul ball sailed over the fence at John Ivan Diamond #2 and struck a spectator next door watching a game at Diamond #1. “Hit by a ball in the back of the skull, was taken to hospital in an ambulance. I guess she was throwing up a lot. She had to have a CT scan,” said Rod Drouillard, president of the Windsor Wildcats Girls Fastpitch Association, who also reported the woman is fine and back home. “Definitely not the only one but definitely the worst one so far and we hate to see anything else happen that’s worse than what we had this past weekend.” Drouillard says he has had discussions with the city about adding safety netting over the dugouts. “I’ve had a few letters sent to me from the teams and a lot of people with a lot of conversation when they see me just all the fly balls that are coming and it’s just not safe,” said Drouillard, who would like to see safety like the one found at Mic Mark Park along Malden Road installed. Foul balls disrupted games in progress. At the same tournament, a young person was struck by a foul ball but wasn’t injured. Rockery enjoys the facility at Mic Mac Park but says, “it’s dangerous.” Four diamonds back on to each other which not only disrupts games but can also hit an unsuspecting resident walking through the park. “The city could really work on putting netting over that quad because it’s a danger zone,” noted Debbie Malisani, the president of the Provincial Women’s Softball Association. CTV News reached out to the city for a response on the safety concerns but did not hear back as of news time. The Wildcats hosted 242 teams over 11 fastball events in a six week span this summer. “It’s a lot of tournaments, a lot of work but it’s a lot of fun as well,” said Drouillard. The City of Windsor provided the following statement: The safety of residents and visitors is a priority for the City of Windsor. As part of the City’s ongoing management of recreational facilities, staff regularly review opportunities to enhance amenities, and safety features at parks and sports venues throughout Windsor. The City’s Parks Design team is currently reviewing a range of options that could be incorporated into existing ball diamond infrastructure. Any potential improvements would be carefully evaluated to ensure they are appropriate for the site and compatible with the intended use of the facility. Spectators attending sporting events are reminded to remain alert, be aware of foul balls and other game-related activity, and exercise caution when near active playing fields.
