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Gainesville High School baseball player hit in the head with bat declared brain-dead

By Allie Goolrick, WSBTV.com
By Allie Goolrick, WSBTV.com

GAINESVILLE, Ga. — A Gainesville High School baseball player who was hit in the head by a bat has been declared brain-dead, according to his doctors.

Jeremy Medina, 18, has been in critical condition since Nov. 20 after an accident at the school’s batting cages.

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“As a player followed through on his swing, Jeremy leaned into the net and was struck in the head,” said Gainesville High School Principal Jamie Green. “There is no horseplay, no misconduct, and no intent.”

On Wednesday, doctors announced in a news conference that Medina has been declared brain-dead and will be an organ donor.

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Jeremy’s family told Channel 2 Action News that their son had a scholarship offer to play baseball in college and dreamed of playing professionally.

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The community rallied around Jeremy after the accident, painting a field at the high school as well as rocks on campus with the phrase “Pray for Jeremy.” The phrase was even featured on a billboard.

There were outpourings of support and prayers from rival teams.

“We would never imagine the love and support,” said David Medina, Jeremy’s father.

Channel 2′s Bryan Mims was in Gainesville Wednesday night, where Medina’s doctor, Dr. Michael Cormican, talked about how inspiring the family was in their handling of the tragedy.

“It’s inspiring to see how they’ve handled this with grace and prayerful thought,” Cormican said.

David Medina spoke at the news conference of his son’s desire to be an organ donor and how the family’s faith is getting them through. He said his son had dreams of sharing his Christian faith through baseball.

“Our strength, my family’s strength, my strength since day one has been rooted in the most amazing power of Jesus Christ,” Medina said. “(Some well-wishers) don’t even know my son, don’t even know my family, but they’re together with us in prayer and support us in this moment.”

Gainesville High School principal Jamie Green said he broke the news to all of Jeremy’s teammates in a private setting and that there are counselors and social workers on hand at school.

Family members said there will be an honor walk for Jeremy in the coming days.

Gainesville High School says they will look into the safety operations for the baseball facility to see if changes are needed.

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