Circus Performers will Sue; "We are Lucky to be Here, Alive"

Four of the seven acrobats injured in a horrific circus accident in Providence in May appeared at an emotional press conference Tuesday afternoon and said they are thankful for the support and prayers from people around the world.

"We are trying to come to terms with knowing we will never be the same, but we know we are lucky to be here, alive," said Viktoriya Mederios, who will be celebrating her 35th birthday on Wednesday at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital in Massachusetts where she's trying to recover from the fall.

The acrobats appeared alongside lawyers from Clifford Law Offices, a Chicago-based firm retained by seven of the eight female circus performances who were injured when the "human chandelier” act collapsed during that performance. The accident occurred in front of thousands of spectators, including many small children. 

Lawyers said in a press release issued Monday that it is conducting an in-depth investigation into “all the possible entities who may be responsible for what happened to these beautiful women who were in perfect health and had promising careers.”

At Tuesday's press conference, they said they weren't exactly sure who they would be suing as their investigation is being hampered by the ongoing investigation by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Lawyer Thomas K. Prindable suggested the potential targets of the suit could be the manufacturer of the carabiner that reportedly failed, the Dunkin Donuts Center where the circus was held or other parties.

"We don't have access to instruments and other items taken by OSHA until they finish their investigation," Prindable said. "It was a well prepared act, something went wrong with it and that's what we're going to find out."

It is not clear if they will be suing their employer, the Ringling Brothers and Barnum Bailey Circus, or even if they are still employed by the circus. The lawyers would not elaborate on their employment status and said suing their employer would be "difficult."

The injured performers are part of a tight-knit family, they said, and they have lived and worked together, all day, every day. That bond has remained strong as ever as they recover.

"We come from different countries from around the globe but we come together as an international family in the circus," Mederios said. "We look after each other. We don't know what our future will hold, but we can still hope and dream and be thankful we are here."

The acrobats have undergone dozens of surgeries of various types and each has their own unique challenges. Consider Julissa Segrera, who appeared in a wheelchair with a brace around her neck.

"My dream was to be a star performer. My dream now is to walk," she said.

On May 7, three days after the accident, Rhode Island Hospital officials said two acrobats hurt in the horrifying mishap could be paralyzed having suffered serious spinal fractures officials said they could not move their legs when they were transported to the hospital following the accident.

Injured performer Samantha Pitard was released days after the accident despite suffering fractures to her spine, a cut on her heat and stitches on a badly bitten tongue, she said she wants to perform again.

Prindable said the staff at Rhode Island Hospital was extraordinary and went above and beyond in the race save and care for the injured performers as they came to the trauma center.

And for the performers, despite the suffering and difficult recovery, they said they were not feeling anger. There were even a few smiles flashed between the tears. They've been buoyed by an immense outpouring from the global community who have sent love and prayers.

"Over the past several weeks, we can feel the love," Mederios said. "It gives us hope."

"We hope one day we will be healed enough so we can perform again," she said. "We took a great job in making others happy. . .I don't know what our future will hold, we may never be able to go back to do what we know, but we can still hope and dream."