MISHAWAKA, Ind. – A member of a men's slow-pitch softball team has died after being taken off life support, two days after he was hit in the neck by a ball.
Teammates say 24-year-old Alberto Naranjo of Elkhart, Ind., was sliding into home plate during a game Saturday morning when a throw struck him below his left ear. He started to get up, but collapsed.
The ball apparently struck his carotid artery, which supplies blood to the brain, said teammate Brian Forray, who is studying to become a firefighter.
Paramedics took Naranjo to Memorial Hospital in South Bend after attempts to revive him failed.
St. Joseph County Coroner Michael O'Connell says a neurosurgeon pronounced Naranjo brain dead early Sunday. O'Connell said Naranjo remained on life support until Monday so his organs could be used for transplants.
Hospital spokeswoman Ruth Linster said Monday afternoon that Naranjo had died.
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