WINDSOR

Young dad dies in B.C. after being hit in the head during slo-pitch game

The Canadian Press Published Thursday, August 31, 2017 11:24AM EDT

Chris Godrey, left, was critically hurt when he was struck in the head with a softball during a charity game in Courtenay. Aug. 22, 2017. (GoFundMe)

Text:

VICTORIA - A slo-pitch player on Vancouver Island has died, 10 days after suffering a severe brain injury when he was hit by a softball.

Chris Godfrey's family says he died on Wednesday after being hit by a ball thrown from the infield as he ran for a base during a slo-pitch tournament in Comox on Aug. 19.

Godfrey, a husband and father of a one-year-old girl, was not wearing a helmet.

He was flown to hospital in Victoria after the accident and remained on life support following surgery.

Friends, family and the Comox Valley Slo-Pitch League have all donated to a growing fund to assist Godfrey's wife and daughter.

The slo-pitch league has also implemented a rule requiring helmets for players, and other leagues across Vancouver Island say they are considering similar rule changes.