By Ranjan Bhaduri
Nov. 5, (THAINDIAN NEWS) The jury members of The Lewis and Clark County District Court, awarded the Patch family $850,000 and ruled the case against the producers of Louisville Slugger bat. The Patch family had lost their teenaged son Brandon Patch in the year 2003, in a baseball game for which the jury held the bat-makers Hillerich & Bradsby, responsible. The jury said that the manufacturers failed to give out adequate warnings on the bat’s hazards and thus they were responsible for the death.

Brandon had been playing for Miles City Mavericks as a pitcher when the ball hit his temple and ended up killing him. The ball had been hit by a batter of the Helena Senators team. The Patch family said that the aluminum bat was so manufactured, that the ball hit was faster than ever and could not be seen because of the speed. The Louisville based maker’s attorney defended that the death was nothing but an accident and that their clients were not responsible in any way whatsoever, since the accident could have taken place with any bat.

Debbie Patch, the mother of the deceased said, “We should go back to the way baseball’s played. Professionals play with wood and we need to play with wood. This is for Brandon, and for the other kids on the field. Brandon was with us, #11 showed up all the time. Brandon was with us, he knows I wouldn’t stop.” The family says that they were shocked with the decision and that they don’t know where the money will go. However, they are considering creating a scholarship in Brandon’s name.