JACKSONVILLE, FL -- A Jacksonville, FL, man recently filed a lawsuit against the YMCA of Florida's First Coast and TKO Sports Group. The man claims that he was injured after an exercise ball that he was using exploded, breaking both of his wrists and his forearm, and injuring both shoulders, according to local Jacksonville media reports.
Peter Royal told The Florida Times-Union that he was leaning back on the exercise ball and about to lift a pair of 75-pound dumbbells when the ball exploded beneath him. According to the article, Royal weighs 200 pounds.
The lawsuit claims that the Y had negligent trainers and that TKO Sports, the manufacturer of the exercise ball, mislabeled the ball as "anti-burst," the newspaper reported.
The incident occurred in 2005, but Royal told Jacksonsville TV station Channel 4 that since the incident, he’s had five operations and has had his “life turned upside down.”
The Y, TKO Sports Group and Royal’s lawyer could not immediately be reached for comment.