Brian Cariota Sues Astros for $1 Million After Being Struck by Foul Ball

Brian Cariota, a paramedic who was working in the Houston Astros' dugout during the 2019 American League Championship Series, is suing the team after being struck in the head by a foul ball in Game 2 against the New York Yankees.  

Per Michelle Homer of KHOU 11, Cariota filed a $1 million dollar lawsuit for "physical pain and mental anguish" caused by the injury. The suit alleges the team is at fault for the injuries Cariota suffered because it did not install protective netting on the dugout.

Cariota was struck in the bottom of the fifth inning when Astros outfielder Michael Brantley hit a foul ball into the team's dugout. Play was stopped as Cariota received medical attention before being taken to the hospital. He suffered a traumatic brain injury, brain bleed and facial fractures.

Homer noted the lawsuit also alleges that Cariota is suffering from "lifelong vision issues and post-concussion syndrome."

The Astros did extend the protective netting into the outfields at Minute Maid Park last August after a two-year-old fan suffered multiple injuries, including a skull fracture, when she was hit by a foul ball off the bat of Chicago Cubs outfielder Albert Almora during a game earlier in the season. 

There is no protective netting around the stadium dugouts at Minute Maid Park.