PROVIDENCE, RI (AP) – Eight acrobats who were seriously injured when the rigging that held them by their hair fell to the ground during a 2014 circus show in Rhode Island have reached a $ 52.5 million settlement with the owner and the management of the arena where the circus was held, their lawyer confirmed Monday.
“It’s a great outcome, it’s the right outcome, and it’s a fair outcome,” said Zachary Mandell, an attorney for the eight women, of the settlement, first reported by The Providence Journal.
A metal clamp that held the acrobats six meters above the floor of the Dunkin ‘Donuts Center broke during the May 2014 performance, causing fractures and spinal cord injuries to the women. A ninth worker on the ground was also injured.
Some women still suffer “life-altering” injuries, according to Mandell, who said he couldn’t go into details because of medical privacy laws.
“These customers will now be able to receive meaningful reimbursements through this settlement,” he said.
The women sued the Rhode Island Convention Center Authority, which owns the arena, and SMG, which manages it, in 2016. Sean Brousseau, listed as attorney for both entities, said on Monday that he could not confirm or deny a settlement.
The settlement is paid for by insurers, Mandell said.
According to the lawsuit, SMG agreed to manage all events and maintain downtown safety, 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.
Following the accident, which occurred in front of thousands of spectators, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration of the United States Department of Labor concluded that circus workers had overloaded a carabiner. The clip held up a chandelier-like device that the women hung by their hair.
OSHA cited Feld for a “serious” violation of industry practice and imposed the maximum possible fine of $ 7,000.
Feld Entertainment disputed the finding.
Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, which closed in 2017, also agreed to take several measures to improve safety.
An email requesting comment was left with Feld.