Circus acrobats plan suit, say lives have changed

6/17/2014

FILE - In this May 2, 2014 file photo provided by Frank Caprio, performers hang during an aerial hair-hanging stunt at the Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus in Providence, R.I. Seven of the eight acrobats who fell to the Dunkin' Donuts Center floor during that same stunt in Providence two days later have hired a Chicago-based law firm to represent them, the firm announced Monday, June 16, 2014. (AP Photo/Frank Caprio, File) MANDATORY CREDIT

ASSOCIATED PRESS

BOSTON — Four of the acrobats seriously injured in a hair-hanging stunt gone awry are planning a lawsuit and are coming to terms with the idea their lives might never be the same, they said today from the hospital where they’re recovering.

A total of eight acrobats from the U.S., Brazil, Bulgaria and Ukraine were injured May 4, when, investigators say, a carabiner clip snapped, sending them plummeting about 20 feet to the floor at the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus in Providence, Rhode Island.

Four of the women spoke today at a news conference at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, where a number are still undergoing physical therapy. For some it was their first public appearance since the accident.

They declined to detail the extent of their individual injuries, but their lawyers said the performers had, collectively, experienced about two dozen surgeries.

Julissa Segrera, 20, said her dream had been to be a star performer. Now her dream is to be able to someday walk with her young son to the park.

Viktoriya Medeiros, 34, of Bulgaria, who designed the hair-hanging “human chandelier” act with her husband, said the women know they are lucky to be alive. She wore a neck brace and was in a wheelchair.

Dayana Costa, 26, of Brazil, said her family had put their lives on hold to be with her in Boston during the long recovery. She wore a neck brace, had pins in her arms and was in a motorized chair. She said her recovery was difficult and painful.

The lawyers, of Chicago’s Clifford Law Offices, declined to say who would be the focus of a lawsuit.

The women’s medical treatment is being covered through workers compensation.