Ironman in Ninja class court action
CHAMPION Gold Coast ironman Ali Day has launched a $500,000 lawsuit against a company run by a ‘Ninja Warrior’ and Surf LifeSaving Australia over a freak obstacle course accident which left him with two broken wrists and threatened a career wipeout.
The reigning Coolangatta Gold, Nutri-grain Ironman Series and Australian ironman champion needed 28 pins, screws and platesin his wrists and spent 16 months out of the sport after falling from monkey bars at the Terrain Training ‘QLD Ninja HQ’ atnerang in July 2019.
Day was doing a promo shoot for SLSA’S controversial Iron X ‘beach warrior’ competition when he had the accident, rubbinghim out of the 2019-20 season.
Terrain Training is run by Shane Elisara, who was a finalist on the first season of Channel 9’s Australian Ninja Warrior in2017.
Day has filed a $485,000 District Court damages claim against Shane Elisara Pty Ltd, SLSA and Sydney-based Imagine This SMEPTY Ltd, run by champion lifesaver turned sports promoter Mick Porra, who founded the Nitro Circus and Uncle Tobys ironmanseries.
The claim alleges the accident left Day with ‘severely damaged’ wrists, anxiety and depression and will likely force him intopremature retirement.
The claim states he was injured during a promotional shoot for Iron X, a hybrid ironman/obstacle course format developed byporra but which was dumped by SLSA after fierce opposition from star lifesavers.
Day’s claim states that during the shoot, he saw legendary lifesaver Trevor Hendy’s son TJ Hendy strug
gling with the obstaclecourse despite also being an elite athlete.
It states that while swinging between monkey bars, Day lost his grip, fell about 2m to the ground and felt ‘immediate pain’ in both wrists. He was taken to hospital for surgery including pinning his broken bones back together with screws and plates.
The claim alleges the three defendants were negligent by failing to provide reasonable safety precautions for Day, includingsafety mats and training, despite the fact the obstacle course was ‘deliberately difficult’ and there was a ‘significant risk’ of injury.
Day had missed out on more than $80,000 in potential prize money plus sponsorship and incentives when he was unable to competein the 2019-20 ironman season and also had to give up work as a personal trainer, the claim states.
It says that while he ‘persevered through his ongoing pain’ to achieve a ‘remarkable’ win in the 2021 NutriGrain Ironmanseries, it was anticipated his career would be cut short. His claim includes $300,000 for past and future economic loss as well as about $10,000 in payments for his partner who hadto care for him during his recovery.
The three defendants have not yet filed a defence but the claim states they have consented to Day commencing personal injuryproceedings. Ahead of his successful Australian ironman defence last year, Day told The Courier-mail he had suffered some ‘really darkdays’ while beached from competing.
“There were days when I thought about getting in a car and driving straight into a wall so I could at least feel something,because I wasn’t feeling anything,” he said at the time.