Local Baseball Player Recovering From Horrific Injury

The following was written by Tim Jensen

Three weeks ago, Dan Brunetti's life changed in an instant.

The Fermi High School senior and baseball team co-captain was pitching in Rocky Hill - "a 4-4 game, sixth inning, second pitch," he said in an interview Monday.

A Rocky Hill batter smashed that pitch on a line right back where it came from, striking Brunetti directly in the right eye and cheek.

"I could see the seams coming right back at me and watched it all the way," Brunetti recalled. "I tried to get my glove up there and catch it, but there was no time. It hit me so hard, I didn't really feel the pain, but I got scared when I saw blood gushing out of my face."

With Brunetti lying face down in the dirt, the Rocky Hill trainer and Fermi coaches sprinted to the mound, as well as some nurses that were in the stands. Two Fermi parents, one in the medical profession and the other a Connecticut state trooper, also rushed to assist the stricken player.

"My first thought was, is Dan alive?" Fermi coach Bob Cressotti said. "Another inch or so and he would have been hit in the temple. The immediate care that was given to Dan was incredible."

An ambulance whisked Brunetti to the Connecticut Children's Medical Center, where it was determined he had suffered fractures in the orbital bones around the right eye and two fractures in his right cheekbone.

"Your eye is in a box, and I fractured the two bones on the sides," Brunetti explained. "The bottom one (the floor) is 90 percent blown out."

Despite his horrific injuries, Brunetti had enough presence of mind to ask about his teammates.

"He told me in the ambulance, 'Win this game'," Cressotti said. Despite their shock and fear for their teammate's well-being, the Falcons did prevail 6-4 in 10 innings.

"I remember laying in the ER wondering if we won, and I was happy to hear we did," Brunetti said. "Overall, though, it was awful - I wasn't prepared for my high school career to end, especially like it did."

Four days after the injury, the swelling had subsided enough for Brunetti to undergo a nearly four-hour operation. Some plates were implanted, held together by 17 screws.

He was able to participate in a Senior Day recognition ceremony before the last Falcons' home game of the regular season, and got back into uniform to cheer on his teammates from the dugout during a state tournament playin game against Farmington on May 26.

Brunetti returned to school on May 28, but school administrators and teachers are not holding him liable to make up the work he missed. The honor roll student looks forward to graduating with his class on June 20 and going on to Holyoke Community College in the fall, where he intends to play baseball.

Save for some small suture lines, Brunetti's face shows little evidence of the terrible battering it suffered. He is still suffering from some vision problems, but says his doctors have told him to expect a full recovery.

"My eye is not lined up yet so I still see double, but my doctors say within a few weeks I should be back to 100 percent," he said. "I'm so surprised it looks almost normal; they said I've surpassed their standards so far."

Late Friday, Brunetti received some amazing news.

"My friends put their heads together and said they wanted to do something," he said. "Unbeknownst to me, they put together an email, attached pictures and articles and sent it to the Boston Red Sox to see if they could do anything. They said they'd like to have me throw out the first pitch Friday against the Angels."

Brunetti, his parents and the friends who contacted the Red Sox, Kristen Tolo and Haley Cotnoir, will be guests of the ballclub at that game.

"There are no words to describe how that feels. As long as there's not a hitter in the box, I'll be fine," he remarked. "I appreciate all the support I've gotten from the school, the team, the  booster club and all the parents for sending their thoughts and prayers. The support has been overwhelming."

Brunetti said the incident was "a freak accident" that doesn't happen very often, but does feel some measures should be taken for improved player safety, specifically returning to the use of wooden bats.

"Even before this happened, I have always been an advocate of wood bats, from high school and college into the pros," he said. "Everyone's goal is to make it there, so why not set yourself up by using a wood bat earlier."

On Tuesday, Patch will have a followup story containing interviews with several regional coaches and sports experts offering their opinions on aluminum versus wooden bats.