Donations Pour in for Local Man Injured by Softball Bat

A local man with a passionate love for baseball was the victim of a freak accident at a tournament last week, and his friends and family are asking for the public's help in funding his lengthy recovery.

Mike Petracca, 28, from Oceanside was at a Las Vegas softball tournament Sunday, walking between fields with teammates, when the unthinkable happened: a batter on a nearby field accidentally let go of a softball bat, causing it to clear a fence and strike Petrecca in the left temple, according to a family friend.

A GoFundMe account was subsequently created after MRI results following an emergency brain surgery showed damage to the part of the brain that handles speech production, meaning Petracca's road to recovery will likely be a long one.

According to the description on the online donation account, Petracca is currently unable to speak and has some paralysis to one side of his face. He also has some muscle weakness and lack of control to the other side, which they hope will subside as he heals, they said.

Petracca is currently still in intensive care in a Las Vegas hospital, according to the GoFundMe description. He will eventually be transported back to California and placed in a managed care facility to recovery.

Because of the nature of his injuries and the lengthy recovery ahead, Petracca's family and friends don't anticipate his health insurance will fully cover the cost of his care, they said. The GoFundMe account was created to assist in those future costs.

The account has only been live for one day, but more than $30k has already been raised for Petracca's medical costs. The goal is $50k, with donations coming in by the minute.

Anyone interested in making a donation toward Petracca's recovery can click here and follow the instructions on the site.

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