Question Regarding Injury

[oppoppo]

I won’t be responding to anymore comments. My purpose of this post was missed and I feel a little beaten up on. The purpose was always a Coach not listening/ignoring my daughter. I understand there are risks in softball but if a player informs a coach she can’t see and then has her teeth busted out, it tends to not set well with me. This was a very traumatic incident for my daughter and our family. Crazy how everyone judged me but really didn’t read the post.

Question. What would you do as a parent in this situation:
1. My 16 U daughter was playing in a tournament a few weekends ago. Unfortunately my daughter had a ball take a weird hop in left field. Ball bounces up, hits her in the mouth. Knocks out one tooth and chips the other in half. We immediately took her to the hospital and they reinserted the tooth that was knocked out. The dentist filled the chipped two. No guarantee the tooth that was reinserted will live, as well root canals and possible caps in her future on both teeth. Daughter always wears a mask while playing infield but usually plays right in outfield and despite our concerns convinced us she didn't need a mask in outfield.

2. Couple of factors: It was a night time game and she specifically told the coach she couldn't see out in the field due to the lights shining in her eyes; he ignored her. That was the end of the 1st inning. Her Dad and I could see from the sidelines she was struggling with her vision. Continual movement of shading her eyes. The outfield was in horrible condition, balls were taking very erratic bounces. Injury happened in the 2nd inning (4th play) and what I didn't realize is when she took the field for that inning she took her sunglasses.

I would think a player telling a coach she can't see should be a safety concern and immediate action taken. Maybe I am wrong. As a parent I will never again allow a Coach/Organization to put my child in harms way. Again, I could see she was struggling to see but I was trying to not be one of those parents who go to the dugout and question a coach. He had already scolded her for missing a ball which should have been his 1st clue. Just wanted to get different perspectives from a safe place to vent.

 

[radness]

Sorry to hear about the injury your daughter sustained. Hope she recovers quickly and that gets resolved to its best case scenario.
From that I can see this is a delicate conversation.

*Difficult situation but it has happened that players that have no visual issues on regular fly balls have had the ball go off their glove and hit them in the mouth and face causing injury. A good reason that all fielders should wear Fielding mask.

* Bad hops happen and are nearly unavoidable in the sport.
That may be the best reason for everybody to wear a Fielding mask.

* Has she ever played with the sun in her eyes?
Appears, cuz of lights, she made the decision to bring out her sunglasses.
( could that have indicated that she would be all right to anybody watching including the coach?)
To add to that there are different colored tinted sunglasses that can help take out glare without obstructing vision would be a good suggestion.

As to the conversation point of thinking the coach put her In Harm's Way and she is playing 16u.
Would like to ask the question is there a certain age when she would be able to determine when it's okay for her to cross a busy street?
At younger age, I do think that parents continue to make decisions for their young children but at this age 16u
would consider that she might be able to determine the visual situation and make an adjustment to it.
However unfortunately this situation included a bad bounce and that unfortunately is nearly unavoidable in softball.

* Fielding mask does not mean it prevents all injuries.

 

[oppoppo]

Sorry to hear about the injury your daughter sustained. Hope she recovers quickly and that gets resolved to its best case scenario.
From that I can see this is a delicate conversation.

*Difficult situation but it has happened that players that have no visual issues on fly balls have had the ball go off their glove and hit them in the mouth and face causing injury. A good reason that all fielders should wear Fielding mask.

* Bad hops happen and are nearly unavoidable in the sport.
That would be the best reason for everybody to wear a Fielding mask.

* Has she ever played with the sun in her eyes?
Appears she made the decision to bring out her sunglasses. To add to that there are different colored tinted sunglasses that can help take out glare without obstructing vision would be a good suggestion.

As to the conversation point of thinking the coach put her In Harm's Way and she is playing 16u.
Would like to ask the question is there a certain age when she would be able to determine when it's okay for her to cross a busy street?
At younger age, I do think that parents continue to make decisions for their young children but at this age 16u
would consider that she might be able to determine the visual situation and make an adjustment to it.
However unfortunately this situation included a bad bounce and that unfortunately is nearly unavoidable in softball.

Agree that she should have had a mask on. She told the Coach she couldnt see, so he has no responsibility to offer assistance? For all he knew when she said that, she could have had a medical issue going on. We were a good distance away so we didn't hear her say something to him about it. You are right, the next time she will walk off the field regardless if they have enough players to play or not.
Visual adjustment would be difficult considering this was only her 2nd time playing at night. She obviously was trying to accomodate for the glare or she wouldn't have taken her glasses out. The bottom line is she is a 16 year old girl who is a rule follower and at the end of the day, she didn't know what to do and asked her Coach for help.

 

[radness]

Agree that she should have had a mask on. She told the Coach she couldnt see, so he has no responsibility to offer assistance? For all he knew when she said that, she could have had a medical issue going on. We were a good distance away so we didn't hear her say something to him about it. You are right, the next time she will walk off the field regardless if they have enough players to play or not.
Visual adjustment would be difficult considering this was only her 2nd time playing at night. She obviously was trying to accomodate for the glare or she wouldn't have taken her glasses out. The bottom line is she is a 16 year old girl who is a rule follower and at the end of the day, she didn't know what to do and asked her Coach for help.

Coach would have seen a player putting on sunglasses to accommodate the glare.

Hope she recovers quickly and her smile shines brightly!

 

[sluggers]

First, I'm sorry your DD was hurt. It is very difficult to see your child in pain. My kids were hurt several times playing sports, so I understand your feelings. (My DD#1 was hit in the face with a softball, and ended up losing three teeth.)

Every athletic competition carries a risk of physical injury. The more she plays, the more likely it is that she would be hurt. Almost everyone gets hurt if they play long enough.

Your DD was hit by a ball that was bouncing on the ground that took a bad hop. MLB stadiums have the best groomed fields in the world, and balls still take bad hops. It's "one of those things."

 

[GunnerShotgun]

Agree that she should have had a mask on. She told the Coach she couldnt see, so he has no responsibility to offer assistance?

I would hope that if she had some sort of visual impairment (LASIK, glasses, etc) that it was discussed prior to her joining the team. If she was just having a bad game, (the sun was in her eyes, lights were in her eyes, etc.) there are things you can do to mitigate that in the OF.

It just sounds like a bad bounce/bad field scenario.

 

[Rick M]

Agree that she should have had a mask on. She told the Coach she couldnt see, so he has no responsibility to offer assistance? For all he knew when she said that, she could have had a medical issue going on.

Not really sure what the coach could have done in this situation. If a player comes into the dugout and says some condition — physical, field, equipment — is making it impossible for her to play her position, my first question is ‘Do you need to come out?’ I’ve never gotten a ‘yes’ to that, short of an injury.

We’ve played on some bad fields, but you can’t just pull your team because there’s a trench in front of the mound, or some gnarly grass in the OF, or the light stanchions are too low. You’d forfeit an awful lot of games.


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[oppoppo]

I would hope that if she had some sort of visual impairment (LASIK, glasses, etc) that it was discussed prior to her joining the team. If she was just having a bad game, (the sun was in her eyes, lights were in her eyes, etc.) there are things you can do to mitigate that in the OF.

It just sounds like a bad bounce/bad field scenario.

No she doesn't have visual problems. The issue was that she was staring straight into lights and it was throwing her line of vision off. She is typically a middle infielder or right fielder

 

[oppoppo]

Not really sure what the coach could have done in this situation. If a player comes into the dugout and says some condition — physical, field, equipment — is making it impossible for her to play her position, my first question is ‘Do you need to come out?’ I’ve never gotten a ‘yes’ to that, short of an injury.

We’ve played on some bad fields, but you can’t just pull your team because there’s a trench in front of the mound, or some gnarly grass in the OF, or the light stanchions are too low. You’d forfeit an awful lot of games.


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In my humble parental opinion, he could have switched her to middle infield (where she has spent the fall season) and put the individual who typically plays left field back in left field. She could have fielded the erratic hops better had her vision not been impaired.
I would think a players safety should be a coaches #1 priority. The game would not have been forfeited he really just need to move players around

 

[Vertigo]

I hope your dd is doing ok.

Unfortunately, if the field lights bother her it probably would be a potential safety issue that could occur at any position. Infield positions have to handle pop-ups as well as ground balls - so if a player told me she was having trouble seeing with the lights I’d probably have her stay in the dugout during night games - or maybe just DH.