A Kansas City man has become the first person to successful win a lawsuit after being injured during a Crossfit workout. The Kansas City man was awarded $400,000 in damages from a jury who found Crossfit at fault. According to the details of the trial, the jury found the Crossfit company and gym 50 percent negligent. The lawsuit stemmed from an incident that happened at the Crossfit gym on West 80th Street near Wornall Road. The plaintiff was injured during a lifting exercise. According to the lawsuit, the exercise was lifting more than 300 pounds. When the plaintiff attempted to complete the exercise, he hurt his back and collapsed in pain. A Crossfit instructor attempted to roll out his back on lacrosse balls which according to the lawsuit, led to further injury. His injury was so bad he could not feel his legs.
The Kansas man successfully sued not only Crossfit but the gym owner as well. Details of the trial reveal the plaintiff never signed a waiver and was not made aware of the risks of the exercise. As part of their judgment, the jury assigned the plaintiff 50 percent of the blame, Crossfit 25 percent of the blame and the gym owner 25 percent of the blame. Crossfit has become one of the most popular forms of exercise in the U.S. The company has more than 13,000 affiliates across the country. A spokesperson for Crossfit issued a statement saying they will appeal the decision and that there was zero evidence of any negligence on the part of the company and the gym owner.
If you have been injured at a gym and you believe your damages were caused by the negligence of the owner, please contact a personal injury attorney at Meyerkord & Kurth, LLC.