Gainesville High School baseball player's wrongful death case moves forward

ATLANTA, Georgia (Atlanta News First) – A judge ruled Friday that a Gainesville High baseball player's wrongful death lawsuit can proceed.

Several motions were considered at Friday's hearing, including an attempt to dismiss the case entirely.

Jeremy Medina's family expressed their joy at the decision to continue the case and hoped that the case would protect other student-athletes.

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“The family is very pleased with today's decision. It brings us closer to our goal of making sure sports are safer throughout Georgia and the state and that this situation does not happen to any other family,” said Frank Medina, Jeremy's uncle.

Medina's family is seeking more than $700,000 in the lawsuit. Before Medina's death, the 17-year-old was in a coma after being accidentally hit in the head with a baseball bat in a batting cage at Gainesville High School last year.

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The lawsuit alleges that no school employees or adults were present to supervise the training during the Thanksgiving holiday.

“Any person who allowed these breaches of duty to occur should be held accountable,” the family’s lawyer said.

The family and their lawyer said they hoped this case would allow them to ask school officials what could have been done differently and whether someone else was responsible.

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“So that the Medina family and the community can finally get answers as to how this could have happened,” said the family's lawyer. “And whether this could be prevented in the future for other athletes in Georgia.”

Atlanta News First reached out to the Gainesville School District for a response but did not receive a response.

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