AusLeisure

A gym in the Northern NSW town of Lismore gym has been ordered to pay almost $300,000 in damages to a woman who tripped over an exercise ball and broke her ankle.

Stephanie Lenore Powell was working out at Success Martial Arts in March last year when she stepped off an exercise machine, tripping over a ball that caused her to fall and suffer severe fractures to her left heel and ankle.

The ball had apparently been rolled to a position near the exercise machine by an unsupervised child.

As a result of the injury, Powell had been prevented from working and was forced to undergo months of painful medical treatment.

Medical specialist Dr Charles Hew issued a report in August this year, almost a year and a half after the injury, finding Powell would have ongoing disabilities for the rest of her life.

Ordering the gym's owners, Success Leadership, to pay $287,905 in damages in the NSW District Court last week Judge Leonard Levy stated “plainly, that child should not have been there (in the gym)."

Judge Levy said Powell’s ability to walk and stand for long periods had been affected and she still needed medication to deal with the pain, adding "she experiences difficulty walking on stairs, inclines, and difficulty maintaining her balance.

"These matters of compromise cause the plaintiff considerable frustration which in turn affects her outlook on life."

He added Powell's disabilities would "have a significantly adverse effect on her ability to gain and maintain full-time employment in many areas, not just restricted to her present work classifications".

The gym's owners were ordered to pay the damages and to cover Powell's legal fees.

Image used for illustrative purposes only.

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