A New Orleans woman is suing a Biloxi gym after an alleged treadmill catastrophe
A New Orleans woman is suing a South Mississippi gym after she says she was injured on a rapidly spinning treadmill.
Valerie O’Connor claims in a federal lawsuit she was unable to shut off a treadmill at Iron Works Gym on Eisenhower Drive in Biloxi. O’Connor was at the gym on April 1, 2022, when she got on the treadmill, but says it malfunctioned and accelerated rapidly.
She called for help, “but despite other gym customers and employees being in the near vicinity, her calls went unnoticed,” the lawsuit said. Because the machine sped up, O’Connor fell, “causing catastrophic and debilitating injuries to her lower extremities.”
The suit, filed Dec. 26, says O’Connor “suffered severe friction burns to her legs, which resulted in permanent scarring and potential nerve damage, which may require surgery in the future.”
The lawsuit claims negligence by Iron Works Gym, saying the business should have adequately maintained the treadmill that malfunctioned. O’Connor seeks an unspecified amount of damages.
A lawsuit represents only one side of a legal argument. As of Wednesday morning, Iron Works Gym had not filed a response to the suit.
This story was originally published January 18, 2023 at 10:48 AM.