A former Montoursville High School assistant baseball coach claims he lost an eye at throwing batting practice because of a defective safety net.

A U.S. Middle District Court jury began hearing testimony this week on that claim by Corey Twigg, according to Pennlive.com.

He was injured March 10, 2018, while making soft throws underhand to batters in the school’s auxiliary gym.

A ball went through the collegiate screen safety double net Twigg was seated behind and hit him in the right eye. Attempts to save the eye were unsuccessful.

Twigg and his wife Lori in 2021 sued Varsity Brands Holding Co. and its subsidiary BSN Sports Inc. of Texas, and Garware Technical Fibres contending the net was defective.

The parties have scheduled 12 experts to testify about the condition of the polyethylene safety net.

They are expected to offer opinions on whether there was a defect in the net, if the hole was present prior to the accident and had it been repaired previously by using zip ties, the newspaper said.

In his opening statement, the Twiggs’ attorney Nicholas W. Mattiacci accused the defendants of not doing anything to test the net against batted balls.

The double net failed within 15 months of being manufactured, he claimed, according to Pennlive.

As the result of the injury, Twigg, a former sixth grade teacher, is a “mere shadow of what he was,” the attorney said. He is no longer teaching and has psychological issues, he said.

The defendants dispute the net made by Garware was defective, noting they never had any prior complaints about the particular screen. The net is attached to a steel frame in the shape of an L.

The batted ball went through near the edge of the net.

Zip ties were added to give more tension on the netting, Garware attorney John T. Donovan noted.

They were removed before the hole the ball went through was photographed, the defendants contend.

The Twiggs are seeking damages on liability and negligence claims for his personal injuries, future medical and related expenses, pain and suffering and past and future lost earnings. They also claim they are entitled to punitive damages.