Lawsuit by Track Star Who Lost Eye Settled

MISSION VIEJO â€”  A young track star who lost an eye in 1994 after she was struck by a golf ball while training at Saddleback College reached an out-of-court settlement Thursday in her negligence lawsuit.

Details of the settlement between Ashley Bethel and the college, as well as those involved with the campus golf driving range, were made confidential as part of the agreement. Bethel and her family reached the settlement with the other parties in advance of a civil trial was to begin in Orange County Superior Court.

The girl’s mother said that the family is happy the lawsuit has been settled, but that the last three years have been difficult, and Bethel still faces medical procedures and many challenges ahead.

“It’s a closure that you need to have happen, but at the same time you’re reminded that no amount of money will ever replace her eye,� Abby Bethel said. “We’d give anything that [the incident] did not happen. We’d just like to be able to turn the clock back. . . . Our lives have been changed forever.�

Despite her injury, Ashley Bethel, now a junior at Mission Viejo High School, has returned to competition and has won local and national championships. She is hoping to compete in the 2000 Olympics.

“She’s going forward with her life in track and hopes to be famous,� said her attorney, Jim Crandall. “Her goal is still to be the Olympic champion and break Jackie Joyner-Kersee’s record in the heptathlon.�

Joyner-Kersee and other track stars were among many well-wishers who offered support and inspiration to the Bethel family after the freak accident.

“The community has been wonderful, the support has been tremendous,� Abby Bethel said.

“She has been just a trouper about the whole thing,� she added about her daughter. “We’re very, very proud of her. But it’s difficult.�

Ashley Bethel, then 14, was working out at Saddleback College’s track on Feb. 22, 1994, when an errant golf ball apparently flew over a protective barrier at the campus driving range and struck her in the face.

The impact shattered her right eye socket and destroyed the eye and surrounding tissue, blood vessels, nerves and bone. Doctors were unable to save the eye.

The girl and her family filed suit alleging negligence later that year, after a $6.25-million claim was rejected by the college and the State Board of Control. The Superior Court lawsuit sought unspecified damages.

Since the accident, Bethel has undergone five surgeries, her lawyer said. In making her comeback, she has had to overcome loss of depth perception.