BOSTON — A woman struck by a piece of a baseball bat at Boston’s Fenway Park suffered “life-threatening” injuries but is expected to survive, Boston police spokesperson Rachel McGuire said Saturday.
The incident occurred during the second inning of Friday night’s Red Sox game against the Oakland Athletics when Athletics’ third baseman Brett Lawrie was at bat.
Alex Merlas of Brookline told the Boston Globe, “Brett Lawrie hit the ball and the bat snapped in half near the end of the bat. It hit on the forehead to the top of the head … it was a blunt trauma and it was a lot of blood. I don’t think I’ve ever seen that much blood.”
The woman, who was sitting along the third base line, was removed from the stadium on a stretcher and taken to Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, the hospital said.
The hospital identified the woman as Tonya Carpenter. She was in serious condition Saturday, according to hospital spokeswoman Kelly Lawman. The family was grateful for thoughts and prayers, the hospital said.
“It’s still life-threatening,” McGuire said of Carpenter’s injuries. “However, she is expected to survive.”
The woman was sitting with her husband and son at the time, McGuire said.
“She seemed in shock, she was not aware of what was going on, pushing help away,” fan Arvald Karp told the Globe. “She was pushing the towel away, and she was out of it.”
Before Saturday’s game, the Red Sox asked fans at Fenway to stand in a “moment of compassion” for Carpenter.
“All of us offer our prayers and our thoughts as we wish her a speedy recovery,” the Red Sox said in a statement.
Witnesses posted their accounts of the incident on social media, describing a bloody scene.
