Linden to Raise Baseball Fences After Hartland Mom Loses Eye

Linden superintendent Ed Koledo felt shocked when he heard there was an accident at the Linden High School basbeball field that resulted in a after she was struck by a foul ball.

He was even more surprised when he discovered it was his good friend's wife.

"It was a shocker and terrible tragedy," Koledo said. "I can't imagine what she went through."

Koledo notified the staff and the school board and took up a collection of $1,500 that was donated during a fundraiser for Jenny Kesson and her family on March 30.

However, Koledo didn't stop there and wants to make sure similar incidents don't occur in the future. The school is in discussion to make the fences surrounding the field higher.

"We are defintely going to do it," Koledo said. "We are trying to decide whether to do six or eight foot. When you look at the incident, nothing could have stopped it but a higher fence."

Koledo said the incident has caused athletic directors in the entire Metro League to take a look at fence heights.

"It is creating quite a buzz around baseball," he said. "We are defintely going to do something. We are just not sure how high we'll go."

On March 24, Kesson went to watch her son play for Hartland against Linden. She bent over to roll her wet pants up. As she went to stand back up, Kesson’s whole life changed in an instant, as a line-drive hit went foul.

“It was such a freak, freak accident,” said Laura Simon, Kesson’s sister. “She stood up, a kid hit the ball-- a line drive-- and it hit her right in her eye.”

Kesson was rushed to University of Michigan hospital and went through eye removal surgery. She now faces months of facial reconstructive surgeries and rehabilitation. She underwent a surgery earlier this month and has been at home recovering, according to her family.