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Suit settled in gymnast's paralyzing injury
An agreement with the gym could provide funding for the teen's treatment.
By JAMAL THALJI
Published December 19, 2006
NEW PORT RICHEY - A settlement was reached this month in the lawsuit between a 17-year-old gymnast and the gym where she suffered a paralyzing injury last year. The details are sealed. Circuit Judge W. Lowell Bray Jr. signed off on the agreement this month. But the settlement with Suncoast Gymnastics Academy Inc. could provide funding for the parents of Samantha Slusak to pursue new treatments for their injured daughter. Because of the confidential nature of the settlement, Frank and Cellie Slusak declined to comment. Their attorney, Brandon Peters of Orlando, refused to comment. Tampa lawyer Daniel Shapiro, the attorney for the Port Richey academy, did not return repeated calls for comment. Samantha Slusak was just 4 when she started at Suncoast Gymnastics Academy. By age 16, she was a seasoned gymnast there, competing at a high level in the floor exercise, balance beam, vault and uneven bars. But on July 12, 2005, the lawsuit alleged, Slusak attempted a difficult new maneuver "beyond her skill level" at the behest of an academy employee. The suit accused the gym of negligence, but the gym's owners described it as a freak accident during a routine maneuver. Slusak attempted a front flip off a trampoline into a cushioned pit - but never got out. She not only injured her neck, but bruised her spinal cord. The teen was left paralyzed below the shoulders. She was flown to a Tampa hospital where she was placed in intensive care. The community rallied to raise money for her, as did gym owners Arnold and Cindy Gwinn. Slusak eventually returned home to continue her schooling and undergo daily therapy. "Some days are good, some are bad," she told the Times last Christmas. "I just take it day by day." Times staff researcher Angie Drobnic Holan contributed to this report. Jamal Thalji can be reached at thalji@sptimes.com or 727 869-6236.
[Last modified December 19, 2006, 07:35:20]
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