Joliet Slammers Sued Again, Child Suffers Brain Injury: Lawyer

JOLIET, IL — At a time when the Joliet Slammers are transitioning to a new ownership group led by world-famous actor and comedian Bill Murray, plus the son and grandson of former Chicago White Sox owner Bill Veeck, the Slammers are embroiled in another negligence lawsuit involving a spectator being seriously injured by a high-speed baseball.

The latest lawsuit at the Will County Courthouse — the second filed against the Joliet Slammers since August — was filed last week on behalf of Grayden Rusnak. The child was hit in the head by a baseball during the May 24 game at Duly Health and Care Field.

"Grayden was at the Slammers game for a school field trip on May 24, 2023," plaintiff's lawyer Brion Doherty of the Chicago law firm Robert J. Napleton & Associates wrote Joliet Patch following Wednesday's phone interview. "He was hurt when a batter hit a line drive that hit Grayden in the forehead. After an initial delay, Grayden was taken by ambulance to Silver Cross Hospital, then later transported to Lurie’s Children’s Hospital in Chicago for brain surgery.

"Fortunately, Grayden is making a recovery from his injuries," the family's lawyer added.

Joliet Patch left a voicemail message on Wednesday with Heather Mills, general manager and chief financial officer for the Joliet Slammers, seeking her reaction to the latest lawsuit against her ball club.

"This matter was an avoidable tragedy," Doherty told Joliet Patch. "Owners and operators of ballparks in this day and age should be acutely aware of the dangers of balls and bats flying into the stands and causing spectator injuries. This is especially true with respect to Duly Health Care Field, as it was only about 8 months before this incident that another spectator at a Slammers game, Henry Brummel, sustained serious injuries when a bat flew into the stands and hit him.

"To the best of our knowledge, no changes to the netting were made after Mr. Brummel’s injuries nor after Grayden’s injuries. We have requested that information but, as of today’s date, received no response. We hope that the City of Joliet and Joliet Community Baseball & Entertainment LLC, the entities that we understand own and operate the ballpark, make necessary changes to the netting at the ballpark to keep fans safe from this type of danger in the future."

According to the negligence lawsuit filed by Grayden's father, Dan Rusnak:

• Grayden was attending the game against the New York Boulders as part of his school class outing. Grayden sat along the first baseline, near the dugout, when he was hit in the face by a line drive baseball hit by a batter, causing a brain injury.
• Prior to May 24, the Joliet Slammers were already aware that baseball spectators have suffered serious injuries including blindness, skull fractures, severe concussions and brain hemorrhages or have been killed by line drive baseballs entering the stands at high speeds in foul territory at Duly Health and Care Health and at other Major League Baseball parks.
• As of May 24, the netting along the first baseline at Duly field was tapered over the dugout and did not extend past the dugout down the right field line.
• Rusnak's lawsuit emphasized how another Joliet Slammers spectator, Henry Brummel, suffered serious face injuries while seated along the third baseline at Duly field after Brummel was hit by a baseball bat Aug. 6, 2022.
• "Mr. Brummel subsequently filed a lawsuit against the defendants in the Circuit Court of Will County and MLB team ballparks," Rusnak's lawsuit indicated.
• Prior to Grayden being hit by the batted baseball on May 24, "MLB and Minor League Baseball conducted studies concerning netting safety at MLB and Minor League ballparks."
• MLB and Minor League Baseball have issued written reports concerning netting safety.

Prior to May 24, Joliet Community Baseball & Entertainment, LLC, the owners of the Joliet Slammers, were aware "that dire conditions remain at ballparks throughout the country, including Duly Health and Care Field that have no netting past dugouts and fans remain at serious risk of being severely injured by high-speed line drive foul balls and that the most dangerous areas are the exposed areas along the first and (third) baselines in foul territory," the lawsuit against the Joliet Slammers outlined.

For more coverage, read Joliet Patch's August story about Henry Brummel's lawsuit against the Joliet Slammers.