Young girl hit by line drive at Yankee Stadium had facial fractures and bleeding on the brain, father says

A young girl suffered multiple facial fractures and had bleeding on the brain after being struck in the face by a line drive last month at Yankee Stadium, her father told the New York Times in a statement and recent interview.

Geoffrey Jacobson said that after the Sept. 20 accident his daughter, who will turn 2 this week, also had an imprint on her forehead left by the stitches of the baseball that hit her and her eyes were swollen shut. She spent five days in the hospital before returning home.

Jacobson told the New York Times that doctors have yet to determine whether his daughter will need facial surgery or if her vision will return to normal.

“While there are numerous medical follow-ups and some remaining medical questions to be answered, we can’t ignore how fortunate we are that our little girl is home,” stated Jacobson, a real estate lawyer who doesn’t want his daughter’s name to be made public.

He added about one of the facial injuries, a bump on the side of her nose: “To me, that’s a cosmetic thing; it’s not a worry to us because of how serious the other injuries are.”

The young girl was attending the game with Jacobson’s parents and her 4-year-old brother, sitting in the lower level behind the third-base line, just beyond the far side of the dugout. She was sitting on her grandfather’s lap when she was hit by a ball traveling at around 105 mph off the bat of Yankees third baseman Todd Frazier.

Jacobson said that he has spoken with Frazier numerous times since the accident. Other than that, he said the only contact he’s had with the Yankees was a brief phone call from someone in public relations, who expressed the team’s support for the family.

The Yankees gave the New York Times a one-sentence response to Jacobson’s comments: “Throughout this incident, our priority has always been the health of this young girl and we are thrilled to hear she has returned home with her family.”

Just before the newspaper’s interview with Jacobson was published Sunday, the Yankees announced they would “significantly expand the protective netting” at their stadium during the off-season.

The New York Times reached Jacobson for a reaction.

“It’s something that could have been addressed years ago,” he said.

charles.schilken@latimes.com

Twitter: @chewkiii

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