Family of Boy Injured during Baseball Game Files Lawsuit

By Robin Chang

Published on September 20, 2007

Tyler Follon, then 13, was injured at a game on June 10, 2005, at Security Service Field in Colorado Springs, after being selected to take on a 12-year-old boy in a mock sumo wrestling match. During the competition, Tyler wore an oversized sumo suit made by HEC Services Worldwide, a company based in China.

A witness reported that “Sox the Fox,” the team’s mascot, jumped into the match several times, knocking the boys over. Upon the third collision, Tyler was knocked away from the safety mat, hitting his head on the infield dirt, resulting in a serious head injury, the suit alleges.

Tyler's parents are suing the team and the sumo suit maker, claiming negligence on the part of both parties. The suit says that the medical response from team personnel was rushed and may have led to more serious injuries. Team officials allegedly sat Tyler upright in the stands and failed to notify emergency care workers.

After the accident, Tyler was taken to The Children’s Hospital in Denver, where he was diagnosed with a skull fracture and brain damage.

Sky Sox officials have yet to respond to the allegations. No trial date has been set.

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