A Gainesville, Florida High School baseball player who was hit in the head by a bat during a freak accident has been declared brain-dead, according to his doctors.
18-year-old Jeremy Medina has been in critical condition since November after a freak accident at the school’s batting cages.
It happened as another player was batting.
“As the player followed through on his swing, Jeremy leaned into the net and was struck in the head,” said the school’s principal.
“There is no horseplay, no misconduct, and no intent.”
Medina was in a coma and he was declared brain dead on Wednesday by doctors at Northeast Georgia Medical Center.
Jeremy’s family informed reporters he had a scholarship offer to play baseball in college and dreamed of playing professionally.
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“The initial trauma to his head was significant and caused him to lose consciousness, and as he lost consciousness, he lost his ability to maintain his airway,” said Dr. Michael Cormican, the center’s director of surgical critical care.
“The life of Jeremy Medina will forever impact the lives of our entire community. His passing will mean renewed life for many others as an organ donor. Please continue to pray for the Medina family,” said the Gainesville City School System.
In the aftermath, the community rallied around Jeremy as they painted a field at the high school as well as rocks on campus with the phrase “Pray for Jeremy.” The phrase was even featured on a billboard.
There were outpourings of support and prayers from rival teams but in the end, nobody got the result that they wanted.
Gainesville High School principal Jamie Green said he broke the news to all of Jeremy’s teammates.
Gainesville High School says they will look into the safety operations for the baseball facility to see if changes are needed.
