The Little League World Series will continue to use single beds placed on the floor following a serious injury to a young boy last year who fell out of his bunk bed and hit his head.
Easton Oliverson, a 12-year-old playing for the Snow Canyon Little League team out of Santa Clara, Utah, suffered a fractured skull last August after falling off the top bunk while sleeping at the Williamsport, Pennsylvania, dormitory complex.
Players warm up before the Little League World Series Championship game between the West Region team from Honolulu and the Caribbean Region team from Willemstad, Curacao, at the Little League International Complex on Aug. 28, 2022 in South Williamsport, Pennsylvania. (Joshua Bessex/Getty Images)
“Out of an abundance of caution, we placed all beds individually on the floor during last year’s World Series, and in preparation for the 2023 Little League International Tournament, Little League decided to provide its participants with single, one-level beds for all of their player housing at each of its tournament locations, including those in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, where the dormitories can accommodate all 14 single beds,” Little League International said Monday in a statement.
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Easton’s parents, Jace and Nancy Oliverson, filed a negligence lawsuit in September against the league and the company that made the bed, citing the lack of railings on the beds.
The lawsuit sought $50,000 in damages, according to The Associated Press.
“All we’ve been through, and it was 100% preventable,” Nancy Oliverson told “Good Morning America” in May.
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An image of Mountain Region Champion Little League team member Easton Oliverson is displayed on the scoreboard at Volunteer Stadium during the opening ceremony of the 2022 Little League World Series baseball tournament in South Williamsport, Pennsylvania, Aug 17, 2022. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File)
Jace Oliverson said he was awakened by Easton’s coach the night of the accident, who told him his son was throwing up.
“So I sit him down, and right when I sat him down, instantly that sweet boy lost all ability to do any simple commands,” Jace told GMA.
Jace said the doctors told him to give his son a “kiss goodbye” after he was airlifted to a Pennsylvania children’s hospital, where he underwent emergency surgery.
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“They told me about 20 minutes later, Easton had a 0% chance to live,” Jace said.
Fans watch the Little League World Series Championship game between the West Region team from Honolulu and the Caribbean Region team from Willemstad, Curacao, at the Little League International Complex on Aug. 28, 2022 in South Williamsport, Pennsylvania. (Joshua Bessex/Getty Images)
Doctors said Easton suffered an epidural hematoma and fractured skull. The family posted updates of Easton on social media until the end of 2022.
“It’s kind of the unknown,” Jace Oliverson said to “GMA” when asked about the next steps in Easton’s journey.
The announcement by Little League Baseball came just two days before the start of the 2023 tournament.
The Associated Press contributed to this report
