Gymnast Files Lawsuit for Paralysis Caused by Fall

By Merylee Robbins

Published on November 03, 2005

After falling from the uneven bars during high school gymnastics practice Andrea Wilson sustained a spinal cord injury, which resulted in permanent paralysis. She is suing the school, training facility and coaches for negligence.

Wilson filed the suit this month in a U.S. District Court in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, naming coaches Shawn and Lana Bauer, All American Gymnastics Academy, and O'Gorman High School as defendants. The lawsuit alleges that the negligence of all three parties lead to Wilson's injury.

Wilson's suit states that the Bauers were unqualified to be coaching, inadequately trained and their coaching techniques left Wilson fatigued and at risk of injury. The lawsuit states that she was repeatedly asked to attempt a dangerous maneuver, and she fell on the 30th try. The facility, run by All American Gymnastics Academy, is also named in the suit because they were allegedly aware that the uneven bars were not high enough to accommodate Wilson's size.

The suit requests compensation for accumulated medical expenses, physical pain and suffering, loss of scholarship and other educational experiences, loss of past earnings and loss of enjoyment of life, as well as future medical expenses, pain and suffering, earnings and enjoyment of life.

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