Player Death May Lead To Enclosed Dugout Mandate
High school baseball fields in Georgia would need completely enclosed dugouts under a law proposed by a state lawmaker. The bill is a response to the death of 14-year-old Colton Shaw who was struck by an errant throw between innings of a game in March.
According to an article in The Tifton Gazette, some schools, including Valdosta High School where Colton played, added screens in front of their dugouts following his death. However, that dugout configuration would not comply with the proposed law since it’s open on the top. Colquitt County High School, where the death occurred, added a screen in front of its dugout, but left an open area where players can enter and exit. The new law would require dugouts be “fenced in overhead and on all sides” while allowing a door that must stay shut when not being used.
Valdosta and Colquitt County made their changes with donated money, but there are concerns that other schools could have difficulty finding funding should the law be passed. The article estimates that adding a barrier to an existing dugout would cost $1,000 while building a new fenced-in dugout could cost about $4,000.
“We find the money for everything else,” the bill’s author, Rep. Dexter Sharper, told the Tifton Gazette. “We should be able to find money for safety precautions.”
The bill is expected to be considered during the next legislative session, which begins in January 2016. Georgia High School Association Executive Director Gary Phillips said his organization could be open to legal liability if it added such a requirement, and the decision is one for local schools to make. He also added:
“It would be hard to argue against it and come off as having any sense at all.”
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