{"id":317957,"date":"2024-04-21T13:25:42","date_gmt":"2024-04-21T18:25:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/?p=317957"},"modified":"2024-04-21T23:42:01","modified_gmt":"2024-04-22T04:42:01","slug":"paralyzed-former-o-at-bellagio-las-vegas-performer-sues-cirque-du-soleil","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/paralyzed-former-o-at-bellagio-las-vegas-performer-sues-cirque-du-soleil\/","title":{"rendered":"Paralyzed former ‘O’ at Bellagio Las Vegas Performer Sues Cirque du Soleil"},"content":{"rendered":"

A former Cirque du Soleil performer left paralyzed from the neck down is suing the company for the injuries he suffered during a performance of \u201cO\u201d at Bellagio Las Vegas last year.<\/p>\n

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Former champion diver Kyle Mitrione is now a quadriplegic after injuring himself while performing in the Cirque du Soleil show \u201cO\u201d at the Bellagio Las Vegas last year. (Image: Facebook)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Kyle Mitrione, a former diver with the show, filed the lawsuit on Thursday, accusing Cirque of placing him \u201cin harm\u2019s way\u201d during the 9:30 p.m. performance on June 28, 2023. It seeks damages in excess of $50,000, including the cost of medical care and punitive damages.<\/p>\n

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\u201cO\u201d has run at the Bellagio in Las Vegas since 1998. (Image: Los Angeles Times<\/em>)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Mitrione, 35, was performing the \u201cIsland\u201d act, which the lawsuit stated was introduced only two weeks before the incident. In the routine, Mitrione attempted to dive, headfirst and backwards, off a floating platform into the show\u2019s 1.5-million gallon pool.<\/p>\n

However, the platform was out of position, according to the lawsuit, and Mitrione struck one of the platform\u2019s lifts. The collision left him with \u201cpermanent, debilitating, catastrophic, and life-altering injuries.\u201d<\/p>\n

The performance was stopped as Mitrione was rushed to the hospital, where emergency surgery saved his life but could not repair his spinal cord injury.<\/p>\n

In addition to complete quadriplegia, Mitrione\u2019s suit claims he suffers from chronic deep vein thrombosis, hyponatremia, sleep apnea, insomnia, depression, anxiety, and chronic physical pain, among other aiments.<\/p>\n

The lawsuit claims Cirque du Soleil is liable for his suffering because:<\/p>\n