Acrobats hurt in circus accident reach $52.5M settlement

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (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 (6 meters) 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.

Read more: https://www.mrt.com/news/article/Acrobats-hurt-in-circus-accident-reach-52-5M-15819928.php
(Midland Reporter-Telegram)