Summer league players injured after pickup truck crashes into dugout
Every baseball player understands the potential dangers that await them when they step between the white lines. However, no one could expect or prepare for the dangers that awaited three players from the Derby Twins, a summer league team based in Kansas, as they cleared out the dugout following Tuesday’s game against the Bethany Bulls.
According to The Derby Informer, Reagan Warren, Todd Gibson and Josh Fisher all suffered minor injuries after a black Ford Ranger crashed through the home dugout at Panther Field shortly after the game ended.
That is a startling photo.
It’s a summer league comprised entirely of college players from around the country, so obviously the players aren’t afforded with an overly fancy set up or a large facility. It’s a small ballpark that suits the league just fine, but is more wide open than a minor league park or most major college ballparks. That explains how the truck was able to reach and ultimately crash through the back of the dugout.
The driver of the truck, 41-year-old John Kelly of Derby, was taken to the hospital in serious condition, Derby Police Chief Robert Lee announced on Wednesday. He was reportedly released later in the day.
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Lee also noted the cause of the crash had not been determined, but alcohol was not suspected.
“I heard the screeching of the tires, then I saw the netting and polls of the batting cage behind the dugout pop up. That’s when the transformer blew up and the lights went out,” said Derby head coach Rickey Noland, who was standing near home plate when the accident happened. “At first, I didn’t know if it was a truck or a light pole that went through the dugout. I really had no idea.”
Noland rushed over to the dugout and pulled out his cellphone, which had a flashlight on it. The stadium went black after the truck hit the transformer, which powers all the lights on the field.
“It was extremely scary. I’ve never been in anything like that my entire life. I just went in fight or flight mode,” Noland said. “We had players screaming. I ran over and saw it was a truck.”
Based on the photos and the descriptions, the players are fortunate they didn’t sustain much more serious injuries. Obviously, the situation would have been worse if the game had still been going on, as the dugout would have been more populated and the likelihood of fans being around the dugout would have been higher as well.
It’s still quite scary, but we’re happy to say a potential tragedy was averted.
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Mark Townsend is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Townie813
