A teenager died after a “freak” accident in a batting cage. Now his parents want to hold the school accountable

The parents of a 17-year-old high school baseball star who died in a “freak” accident in a batting cage have filed a wrongful death lawsuit against school officials.

Jeremy Medina died in 2023 from head injuries sustained during a Gainesville High School baseball practice after a teammate hit him in the head with a bat.

The teen’s parents, David and Yasmira, claim there were no adults present at the Thanksgiving break practice.

The filing alleges that it took three minutes for an adult to arrive at the batting cages after Medina was hit in the head and seven minutes before an adult began CPR on him. One of the adults on site did not have access to an external defibrillator located in the school’s softball concession stand because he did not have the keys to access it, the filing states.

He was taken to hospital but was brain dead and later succumbed to his injuries.

The lawsuit, filed Tuesday in Hall County Superior Court, names principal Jamie Green, assistant principal Stacia Dillin, athletic director Adam Lindsey, assistant athletic director Adam Miller, athletic trainer Arianua Washington, athletic trainer Cris Carpenter, head baseball coach Micah Owings and director of baseball operations Mark Owings, assistant coach Derek Vaughn and five other John Does as defendants.

The unidentified parties are school employees whose identities are well known to the defendants, the lawsuit states. The Independent has reached out to the Gainesville City School System for comment.

The school system had previously stated that the incident was a freak accident with no foul play.

“As the player made his swing, Jeremy leaned into the net and was struck in the head,” Green said at a Nov. 29 news conference. “There is no shenanigans, no wrongdoing and no intent.”

The teenager played as a pitcher and catcher for the baseball team. As Channel 2 Action News reported, he was recently offered a scholarship to college, bringing him one step closer to his dream of becoming a professional player.

However, that ended with the terrible incident.

The teen was taken to Northeast Georgia Medical Center and diagnosed with a subarachnoid hemorrhage in the left temporal lobe, a skull fracture and other trauma-related injuries, the complaint states.

He was in a coma and was eventually declared brain dead.

“The initial trauma to his head was severe and caused him to lose consciousness, and as he lost consciousness he also lost the ability to maintain his airway,” Dr. Michael Cormican, the hospital’s director of surgical critical care Fox5.

Medina was pronounced dead on December 11, 2023.

His parents are seeking $722,208 in the lawsuit and say the school is liable for the amount.