The parents of a 17-year-old high school baseball star who died in a “freak” accident inside a batting cage have filed a wrongful death lawsuit against representatives of the school.
Jeremy Medina died in 2023 from head injuries sustained during a Gainesville High School baseball practice after a fellow teammate hit him in the head with a bat.
The teen’s parents, David and Yasmira, claim there were no adults present at the Thanksgiving break practice.
The filing alleges it took three minutes for an adult to arrive at the batting cages after Medina was struck in the head and seven minutes before an adult began performing CPR on him. One of the adults on scene did not have access to an external defibrillator, located in the school’s softball concession stand, because they didn’t have the keys to access it, the filing states.
He was rushed to the hospital but was brain dead and later died from his injuries.
The complaint, filed in Hall County Superior Court on Tuesday, lists Principal Jamie Green, Assistant Principal Stacia Dillin, Athletic Director Adam Lindsey, Assistant Athletic Director Adam Miller, Athletic Trainer Arianua Washington, Athletic Trainer Cris Carpenter, Head Baseball Coach Micah Owings, Director of Baseball Operations Mark Owings, Assistant Coach Derek Vaughn and five other John Does as defendants.
The unidentified parties are employees of the school whose identities are well known to the defendants, the claim states. The Independent has reached out to the Gainesville City School System for comment.
The school system previously said that the incident was a freak accident with no foul play involved.
“As the player followed through on his swing, Jeremy leaned into the net and was struck in the head,” Green said at a news conference on 29 November. “There is no horseplay, no misconduct and no intent.”
The teen played as pitcher and catcher for the baseball team. He’d recently been offered a scholarship in college, Channel 2 Action News, reported, bringing him one step closer to his dream of becoming a professional player.
However, that end with the horrific incident.
The teen was transported to the Northeast Georgia Medical Center and was diagnosed with a subarachnoid hemorrhage involving the left temporal lobe, a depressed skull fracture and other trauma-related injuries, the complaint states.
He was in a coma and ultimately declared brain dead.
“The initial trauma to his head was significant and caused him to lose consciousness and as he lost consciousness, he lost his ability to maintain his airway,” Dr Michael Cormican, the director of Surgical Critical Care at the hospital, told Fox5.
Medina was pronounced dead on 11 December 2023.
His parents are seeking $722,208 as a result of the lawsuit, stating that the school is liable for the sum.
