ByLive 5 Web Staff|October 2, 2019 at 11:47 AM EDT - Updated October 2 at 11:47 AM
SEABROOK ISLAND, S.C. (WCSC) - A woman has filed a lawsuit against the Seabrook Island Club after she claims she was hit by a golf ball in the head which has since caused her to be diagnosed with a rare syndrome known to cause issues with balance.
Andrea Bratich and her husband were leasing a vacation home on the island on July 14, 2018 which was adjacent to the 10th hole of the Ocean Winds golf course, according to the lawsuit.
Bratich and her children went to sit beside a pool at the house when “within minutes” a golf ball hit her right above her left ear, the suit stated.
“The golf ball that struck the plaintiff hit her with such force and trajectory that it could only have been driven by a golfer from the tee box of the 10th hole of the Ocean Winds Golf Course,” the suit states.
Bratich was diagnosed with a concussion but later states the symptoms worsened including “extreme hyperacusis” which means she could hear the sounds of her own breathing and voice to the extent where it drowned out the sounds of the outside world.
The lawsuit claims she saw several doctors and eventually went to Johns Hopkins in Maryland where she was diagnosed with Semi-Circular Canal Dehiscence Syndrome (SCDS).
According to the hospital, the condition is rare and is caused by “an abnormal thinness or incomplete closure of one of the bony canals in the inner ear.”
The lawsuit states the 10th hole is designed as a dogleg right, and the house where Bratich was staying sits along the right side of the fairway within range of a tee shot. According to the suit, there was no net, trees or shrubs which would have protected the house from other errant shots.
She is suing the Seabrook Island Club as well as the property owners for negligence as well as actual and punitive damages. The lawsuit was filed last week in Charleston County court.
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