Father sues t-ball bat maker after boy's face severely injured

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- If Danny Ducalo's zest for t-ball has diminished somewhat, this might explain why - he has a lacerated nose, 200-plus stitches, and a lifetime scar forever etched on his 5-year-old face.

"When it happened, I just knew that I wanted to stop the bleeding first for him, but looking at his face at the time, I knew that it was going to be a long process," said father Mitch Ducalo.

In May, Danny's 10-year-old brother, Mitch, took a swing with his sibling's plastic, adjustable t-ball bat. The bat broke, came apart, and struck Danny square in the face.

"Blood everywhere - like a war-zone," said mother Lynn Ducalo, "Ran for the phone, called 911; he ran for towels. It was a mess."

Little Danny has so far endured plastic and reconstructive surgery, and more treatment lies ahead. On Friday, his parents filed a $4.5 million lawsuit against the bat manufacturer. There was no response from the company following WABC-TV's calls and emails.

"It's like a telescope, and when you swing too hard, it comes apart and this becomes a projectile," said the Ducalos' family attorney, Richard Sgarlato.

Danny's father says he doesn't want to see another family go through what they are going through, and what they will go through in the future.