Little leaguer killed when ball hits him in the chest

I am a father and I can not even begin to think what it would be like to lose a child, let alone loosing one by such a freak accident. This is one of the more heart breaking stories I have read in a while, sorry to be such a downer by posting it but this definately needs some attention.

rivals.yahoo.com...

He took an inside pitch right in the chest," Winslow Little League official Jamey Jones told the AP. "After that he took two steps to first base and collapsed

The pitch reportedly struck the middle schooler in the chest, directly over his heart. That stopped his heart entirely; a condition medically referred to as commotio cordis

For someone to die by taking a blow to the chest, the spot hit needs to be so percise and it has to occur right when the ventricles are becoming re polarized, and we are talking milliseconds here. That is how quick the heart moves through this phase. If anyone has seen an EKG, this repolarization takes place very close to the end of the beat. It looks like a little tiny hill on the EKG, also known as the t-wave. My heart goes out to the family of this little boy.

could this be the same thing I heard about
growing up from the kung-fu movies
called the death touch ???
what rumored to kill Bruce Lee ???

my sympathies to the boys family

reply to post by boondock-saint


You know that raises a good point. That never crossed my mind til you just said it. The touch would be in the right area of the body, however i just dont know how the person doing it could tell when to hit the area.

My heart goes out to the boy and his family. How very sad. God bless them.

Reminds me of a story I saw on the news a year or so ago. In British Columbia there was a kid killed by being punched in the chest. This bunch of kids would play a game of toughness and endurance. First one would punch the other in the chest. Then the other kid would return the favor. They kept trading blow for blow till one kid gave up. They didn't want to hurt each other in any serious way so they would only hit the chest. Not the head. Not the gut. Not the family jewels. Just the chest. All was fine for a while, then one kid (who was apparently more into it than all of the others) challenged his buddy. On the second or third hit, that buddy stopped his heard. If I remember correctly, the kid who survived didn't even want to play. He just let himself get talked into it. Now he gets to spend the rest of his life remembering how he killed his friend. It must be even worse for the kid who threw that baseball. I can't even begin to fathom what the families of either boy must be feeling.

reply to post by lcbjr1979

I am the father of a 13 year old select baseball player. This story is tragic, but not preventable. I don't understand why this boy allowed himself to get hit in the chest. Every player I've ever dealt with has been taught repeatedly to roll away from an inside pitch from day one. This way it strikes the back and not the vital organs. Regardless, my prayers are with him and his family. This is heartbreaking!

If a ball is flying at your chest traveling north of 125 mph and hits right above your heart it may not break any ribs or damage and nerve fibres but it will force the heart to stop and that is what causes a fatal heart attack.

This is a freak occurence, I dont think anyone would disagree that its tragic and heart breaking I just really hope this isnt used to make it harder for kids to play sports.

In any sport there are going to be accidents and injuries, just as in everyday life, but Ive noticed a trend in Oz and also malaysia that has anytime there is a serious freak of nature injury in a sport the government closes it down or bans it in schools etc.

These are games weve played for generations without any major issue, the best way to honor and remember this boy is to play the game.

reply to post by lcbjr1979


This is the worst pain a parent could ever face, i feel deeply for the family of this poor child.

What probably happened was that he got hit with the ball during the refractory phase of the cardiac cycle.

Heartbreaking. And not all that uncommon, not only in baseball but in other sports as well.

There was a similar local story from a few years ago and the resulting big push and fundraising to get AEDs (automated external l defibrillators) for all sports venues here. They even schedule and share them among the leagues.

Early AED use saves young athletes' lives

AEDs have gone overlooked by schools for too long

Sad thing is that many times even if there are AEDs around, people forget.

Why Aren't AEDs Being Used In An Emergency?

Originally posted by Jebediah
reply to post by lcbjr1979

 

This story is tragic, but not preventable. I don't understand why this boy allowed himself to get hit in the chest. Every player I've ever dealt with has been taught repeatedly to roll away from an inside pitch from day one.

That is just a basic instinct, you really don't have to be taught that, but one detail that you must have missed was that this was a bunt. I feel sorry for the pitcher. It was most likely not his fault. It was probably in the strike zone. It was the pitchers action, but based on what I have read so far, there is no indication that it was the pitcher's fault. That is a lot for a 13 +/- yr. old boy to deal with.

Winslow Little Leaguer Hayden Walton was struck in the chest by a pitch as he went to lay down a bunt on Tuesday night

www.foxnews.com...

There was a college hockey player killed after the puck hit him in the chest. Possible more than one instance of it happening. Freak accident that's for sure. I was at a game yesterday where a guy caught a foul ball by trapping it in his chest. No thanks, I'll just buy a t-shirt.

Time to stop little leage before anyone else gets hurt. Either that or make chest plates maditory. Just think of the lives that could be saved. End sarcasm.

Originally posted by TheImmaculateD1
If a ball is flying at your chest traveling north of 125 mph and hits right above your heart it may not break any ribs or damage and nerve fibres but it will force the heart to stop and that is what causes a fatal heart attack.

Pitches don't tend to exceed 100mph even in the majors; and the few pitchers that can, tend to max out around 110mph.

This was a little league game: Kids.

reply to post by KEMIK


About a decade ago I recall NHL'er Chris Pronger suffering a cardiac event upon being hit in the chest while blocking a shot. Fortunately he recovered after this scare. At the time my sons were still playing youth hockey and soon after the Pronger incident shoulder pads were being marketed that were promoted for the added feature of a protective plate in the area of the heart.