– Marc Diller
Seventy-nine-year-old Linda Goldbloom was seated with family members in Section 106 in the Loge Level behind home plate at the game between the San Diego Padres and the Los Angeles Dodgers on August 25, 2018. The mother of three and grandmother of seven was struck on the head by a baseball. After emergency surgery and a few days on a ventilator, she died. Her death was attributed to intracranial hemorrhage caused by blunt impact.
Sports Illustrated (SI) contacted for his perspective Boston Attorney Marc Diller, of Diller Law, LLP. Diller said:
“While MLB has taken positive steps toward fan safety, they clearly have not gone far enough because nobody should die watching a baseball game. We hope that MLB will learn from these events and take affirmative actions to protect the safety of fans.”1
There was no media coverage of Goldbloom’s passing, nor had the Dodgers publicly addressed the incident or its aftermath for more than five months, until William Weinbaum requested a statement on Monday, February 4, 2019, for his story on ESPN’s Outside the Lines (OTL). A team spokesman provided this statement: 1
“Mr. and Mrs. Goldbloom were great Dodgers fans who regularly attended games. We were deeply saddened by this tragic accident and the passing of Mrs. Goldbloom. The matter has been resolved between the Dodgers and the Goldbloom family. We cannot comment further on this matter.” 2
According to Weinbaum’s research, there have been two other deaths, one in 1943 and another, coincidentally at Dodgers Stadium, in 1970. A study conducted by Bloomberg News in 2014, notes that approximately 1,750 spectators at MLB games are injured by foul balls every season. While many of these injuries are minor, some prove catastrophic.1
1. Sports Illustrated (SI) Could the Dodgers Face Legal Trouble After Fan Died From Foul Ball Injury?
2. ESPN’s Outside the Lines (OTL)Coroner: Fan struck in the head by a foul ball during Dodgers game died of blunt force injury.