In this June 17, 2014, file photo, Circus acrobat Julissa Segrera, second from right, of the United States, and Dayana Costa, right, of Brazil, are tearful as Costa reads a statement at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital in Boston. Photo: AP Photo/Steven Senne/File
Eight acrobats severely injured when the rigging suspending them by their hair plummeted to the floor during a circus performance in Rhode Island in 2014, have reached a US$52.5 million settlement with the ownership and management of the arena where the circus was held, their lawyer confirmed Monday. It s a great result, it s the right result and it s a just result, Zachary Mandell, an attorney for the eight women, said of the settlement, first reported by
Rhode Island acrobats hurt in circus accident reach $52.5m settlement
A metal clip that held the acrobats 20 feet (6 meters) above the floor of the Dunkinâ Donuts Center snapped during the May 2014 performance
Updated December 22, 2020, 8:53 a.m.
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In this June 17, 2014, file photo, Circus acrobat Julissa Segrera, second from right, of the United States, and Dayana Costa, right, of Brazil, were among the eight acrobats injured when the apparatus from which they were suspended fell, sending them plummeting to the ground during a May 4 performance of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus in Providence, R.I.Steven Senne/Associated Press
Circus Acrobats Reach $52.5 Million Settlement in 2014 Fall
“There are safety standards and safety features that were supposed to be in place for every event,” a lawyer for the acrobats said.
Julissa Segrera, second from right, and Dayana Costa, right, at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital in Boston in 2014, were among the eight acrobats injured. Credit.Steven Senne/Associated Press
Dec. 21, 2020
When eight acrobats suspended high above the ground at a performance in Rhode Island suddenly came crashing down in May 2014, gasps and screams ripped through the crowd of spectators. In a YouTube video of the episode, one person can be heard asking, “Were they supposed to fall like that?”
Published December 21. 2020 10:54PM
PROVIDENCE (AP) Eight acrobats severely injured when the rigging suspending them by their hair plummeted to the floor during a circus performance in Rhode Island in 2014 have reached a $52.5 million settlement with the ownership and management of the arena where the circus was held, their lawyer confirmed Monday.
“It s a great result, it s the right result and it s a just result, Zachary Mandell, an attorney for the eight women, said of the settlement, first reported by The Providence Journal.
A metal clip that held the acrobats 20 feet above the floor of the Dunkin Donuts Center snapped during the May 2014 performance, causing the women to suffer broken bones and spinal injuries. A ninth worker on the ground was also hurt.
Some of the women still suffer from “life-altering” injuries, according to Mandell, who said he could not get into specifics because of medical privacy laws.
“These clients will now be able to have meaningful recoveries with the assistance of this settlement, he said.
The women in 2016 sued the Rhode Island Convention Center Authority, which owns the arena, and SMG, which manages it. Sean Brousseau, listed as an attorney for both entities, said Monday he could neither confirm nor deny a settlement.
The settlement will be paid by insurers, Mandell said.
According to the lawsuit, SMG agreed to manage all events and maintain safety inside the center, and arranged with Florida-based Feld Entertainment Inc., the parent company of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, to bring the circus to Providence.