Friend of woman struck by bat at Fenway speaks out

(MyFoxBoston.com) -- He should have been sitting in that seat at Fenway, the day a fan was struck by a broken bat and seriously injured.

The man, a Shrewsbury attorney with a special connection to the victim, Tonya Carpenter, spoke exclusively with FOX25 on Sunday, and said he feels compelled to do everything he can to help her.

The broken bat nearly killed Tonya Carpenter, and it broke Dave Shablin's heart. Carpenter was sitting in Dave's dugout seats. He has season tickets, and gave Tonya, his friend, tickets to the June 5 game against the Oakland A's, because he knew her 8-year-old son would love it.

Now Dave is having a hard time making sense of why things turned out the way they did.

"I would take the bat for her," he  told  FOX25's Heather Hegedus. "I wish I never gave her the tickets and actually that I went. People say not to have guilt, but how could you not?

At first, doctors called Tonya's injuries life-threatening. Brett Lawrie, the A's player whose bat hit her, sent flowers and a note to her hospital room.

Tonya's condition improved, and she was recently transferred to Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital in Charlestown. Dave visited her earlier this weekend and says she still has a long road ahead of her.

"She's got some significant injuries. You know, she took a massive blow to the brain," he said, adding that Tonya still has some physical injuries, and issues with vision and hearing.

"I don't think the doctors know whether she's going to make a complete 100 percent recovery," Dave said.

That's one reason he organized a fundraiser happening this week to help Tonya with her medical bills and other ongoing expenses. He's asking the community to come out and rally around her.

"She had just started a new job not that long ago, so this poor woman doesn't have vacation time accrued, or sick time, so you know she's really without any income," he said. "She just bought a house recently, she has a mortgage payment, she has a young son."

The fundraiser is set for Tuesday, June 23 at Nancy Chang Restaurant on Chandler Street in Worcester. Cocktail hour begins at 5:30 p.m. and dinner starts at 6:30 p.m. There will be a raffle and other prizes. Tickets are $25.

Thanks to an anonymous donor, the food and drinks have all been covered, so 100 percent of the ticket proceeds will go to Tonya.

Additional donations can be made via check directly to Tonya Carpenter.

To RSVP, call Dave at 508-277-9399, or Brian at 774-633-0214, or Tony at 508-615-6534.

Cox Media Group