The court awarding Patch family in the amount of $850,000 for the death of their son Brandon  Patch  on 2003 in a baseball game. Brandon Patch, 18 years old, was a pitcher, who died when a baseball hit by an aluminum bat struck him in the head and died within hours after suffering the head injury. Patch’s family sued the bat maker.

The maker of baseball bat of Louisville Slugger failed to warn the dangers the product can pose,  with this, the Lewis and Clark County District Court jury awarded a total of $850,000 in damages against Louisville, Ky., compensation were ordered  Hillerich & Bradsby for failure to place warnings on the product.

Brandon mother, Debbie Patch was surprised by the verdict since she never expected it. The family rejoiced and cried as the verdict was read. Patch said: "We never expected it," she said. "We just hoped we could get the truth out for more people to see." She hopes the decision will make more people aware of the dangers associated with aluminum bats and that more youth leagues will switch to using wooden bats.  "We just want to save someone else's life," Patch added.

The family of Brandon Patch argued that aluminum baseball bats are dangerous because they cause the baseball to travel at a greater speed. They contended that their 18-year-old son did not have enough time to react to the ball being struck before it hit him in the head while he was pitching in an American Legion baseball game in Helena in 2003.

Curt Drake, one of the family's attorneys, said the jury arrived at the total by awarding $792,000 to Brandon Patch for his lost earnings and pain and suffering, an amount that goes to his estate. The family was awarded $58,000 for their pain and suffering and damages. The attorney added, the family's victory will not likely change the way aluminum bats are used, but that it could help give momentum to efforts calling for a switch to wood bats in youth baseball.

On the contrary, the spokesman, Rick Redman relayed that for the legendary bat-maker said  the company did nothing wrong and the verdict "appears to be an indictment of the entire sport of baseball." "We made a bat in accordance with the rules," . "That bat was approved for play by baseball's organizing and governing organizations." 

However, the Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association's Don't Take My Bat Away Program, a sporting goods trade group, said that while it is true that the death of Brandon patch is tragic, the exact same thing could have happened with a wooden bat.

The jury also decided the product was not defective as cited in the verdict. Drake said that decision was not significant, since the jury found it posed a threat without an adequate warning label. (Facts Source: Associated Press)