Softball player hit by golf ball testifies in court
By Curtis Lum
Advertiser Staff Writer
A former Iolani School softball player said she can no longer eat some of her favorite foods because of the pain she continues to suffer after being hit in the mouth by a golf ball.
Advertiser library photo • February 14, 2001
Amy Taniguchi, 18, testified yesterday at the trial of Daniel Copperud, a University of Hawai'i-Manoa student charged with felony assault. Copperud, 19, is accused of hitting a golf ball that struck Taniguchi on Feb. 2.
Amy Taniguchi, a former Iolani School softball player, was hit in the mouth by a golf ball during a state softball tournament.
Prosecutors say Copperud hit the golf ball from the rear of Johnson Hall dormitory on Dole Street, which overlooks the stadium.
He is charged with second-degree assault, which under state law occurs when a person recklessly causes serious bodily injury to another.
Iolani was in the semifinals of the state softball tournament being played at the Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium. Taniguchi, the starting centerfielder, was standing near the dugout waiting for her turn to bat when she said "something hit my mouth."
At first, Taniguchi said she thought she was hit by a softball. But one of her coaches told her the object was a golf ball.
She testified yesterday before Circuit Judge Karl Sakamoto that her mouth was dripping with blood and became numb. Taniguchi said she ran her tongue along her teeth and realized they weren't straight any more.
She was taken to the Queen's Medical Center emergency room, where she said her orthodontist attempted to straighten her top teeth. A wire also was placed along her bottom teeth so another dentist could glue in a temporary tooth to replace one that was knocked out by the ball.
Taniguchi, who had braces removed in the 10th grade, was fitted with braces again to straighten her top teeth. The recent Iolani graduate testified yesterday that she has difficulties eating because of the "nagging" pain.
"I can't bite into things, like apples, pairs and carrots, and soft tacos. It's sore when I bite into things," she testified. "I eat things differently, like sandwiches. I tear it and put it in the back of my mouth."
Taniguchi said she has resumed playing softball in a summer league and will tryout for the University of Hawai'i Wahine softball team in the fall.
Copperud's nonjury trial is expected to resume tomorrow.
