A worried dad is urging parents to get their children "heart-guards", after his son was struck in the chest by a baseball in a terrifying on-field sporting incident.
John Curtin's 11-year-old son Ryan was pitching when the batter hit "the hardest hit line drive". The ball slammed into Ryan's chest.
Luckily, he was hearing a "heart guard" shirt that absorbed the impact and potentially saved his life.
"My 11 year old Ryan wears one and it literally might have saved his life today," US dad John wrote in a Facebook post that's gone viral.
"He was pitching and one of the hardest hit line drives came back and hit him straight dead centre in the chest and the heart guard absorbed the hit.
"He was in a lot of pain but a lot better than the alternative."
The padded shirts can be worn under sporting tops and helps protect players from direct hits to the chest. They can be purchased from most sports stores and are suitable for a range of sports including baseball, lacrosse, softball and cricket.
For John, the simple act of buying his son one of the shirts is something he will always be thankful for.
"The other coach is an emt and said if he didn't have that on that he might have been giving my son cpr," John wrote in the post that's been shared 82,000 times.
"It was one of the scariest moments I ever had with my kids. We are at urgent care getting chest xrays now.
"Just some advice. $30 to $50 no brainer."