Personal Injury Law

NYC Woman Sues over Pole Dancing Injury

By mbrickley

While more previously associated with damaged relationships and marriages, a New York City woman found that pole dancing can also cause personal injury.

Sue Ann Wee, a dermatologist living in Manhattan, was reportedly injured during a pole-dancing workout class at a Crunch Gym location. She filed a personal injury lawsuit last week against the company that owns the Crunch Gym chain, according to several media reports.

The New York Daily News reported that Wee was hanging upside down during the class at an upper east side Manhattan location, using her feet to support her on the pole. She then fell on both of her shoulders, causing ?serious injuries,? according to the suit.

Wee?s attorney Nicholas Warywoda said the gym instructor convinced her to try the maneuver, even though Wee said it was too difficult for her to perform. The injury reportedly left Wee unable to work for six months, according to the New York Daily News.

“The problem is not with these types of classes,” Warywoda said. “The problem comes when you don’t properly supervise the people in those classes.”

The money amount asked for in the suit has not been specified.

Performing pole dancing as a twist on fitness is a recent trend. Various gyms now offer pole dancing classes and the exotic-dancing themed Flirty Girl Fitness program includes an option to purchase a pole for home use.

But injuries, on the other hand, are not a new companion to pole dancing.

In October 2007, Angela Hobson was awarded a settlement of over $11,000 for worker?s compensation benefits after she pulled her neck in 2001 while swinging around a pole at a Fort Wayne, Indiana nightclub, according to court documents.

The chief judge?s opinion stated that Hobson ?began experiencing numbness and a sharp pain running down her right arm. She had no strength in her right arm and was unable to grip a soda can or make a fist.?

Hobson underwent surgery after emergency room doctors found she had herniated a disc in her upper spine, according to court documents.

Actress Teri Hatcher also was recently injured while pole dancing. Hatcher told David Letterman Friday, Jan. 8 on his late-night talk show that she broke a rib while performing an upside down maneuver during a pole dancing scene shot for the show ?Desperate Housewives.?

Hatcher continued to film for six hours after the injury, she said.

?Sneezing is the worst part,? Hatcher said about breaking he rib.

Full post as published by The Injury Blog on January 09, 2010 (boomark / email).