The University of Southern California issued a statement shortly after the news of the lawsuit being released stating that it “firmly believes it was not at fault in Stafon Johnson’s unfortunate weightlifting accident” (Klein, G., 2011). The strength and conditioning coach at the time of the injury is no longer with USC.
Johnson is seeking unspecified damages “for medical-related expenses, pain and suffering and loss of future earnings” (Sports.espn.com, 2011). The lawsuit alleges that “Yanchar was distracted and not paying attention to Johnson” while Johnson was weightlifting a 275-pound bar in 2009 (Sports.espn..com, 2011).
The injury Johnson suffered was life-threatening. The 275-pound bar fell across Johnson’s throat crushing his neck. Johnson spent hours in surgery as the surgeons reconstructed the organs in his neck.
While his recovery was extensive, Johnson was able to have a full recovery and was signed as a free agent by the Tennessee Titans after the 2010 NFL draft (Klein, G., 2011). According to a Los Angeles Times reporter, Gary Klein, Johnson suffered a season-ending ankle injury last summer and was placed on reserve.
While the stories of what actually happened that day in the weight room vary in detail, the key to this lawsuit is to determine if the strength coach was negligent at the time of the injury.
According to the reports of the injury, Yanchar was spotting Johnson at the time of the injury. The spotter has a very specific task in assisting the lifter during a weightlifting exercise.
Spotting Free-Weight Exercises
In the textbook, Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning, published by the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA), there is a chapter devoted to resistance training and spotting techniques. The NSCA is recognized in the sports medicine and fitness industries as the gold standard for strength and conditioning certification. According to this book, the spotter’s primary role is “to protect the lifter from injury” (2008).
When spotting over-the face exercises, the experts recommend using an alternated grip with the spotter’s hands placed inside the lifter’s hand positions. With this technique, even if the lifter is unable to control the bar, the spotter should be able to catch or control the bar, or at least hold the bar off of the lifter enabling the lifter to safely move out from under the weight (NSCA, 2008).
Proving Negligence
Johnson’s lawyer needs to be able to prove that Yanchar was negligent in his duty as the spotter during Johnson’s bench press. To be successful in a suit of negligence, an athlete must be able to prove the following (Prentice, W., 2010):
- That the individual had a duty to exercise reasonable care.
- That the individual breached that duty by failing to use reasonable care.
- That there is a reasonable connection between the failure to use reasonable care and the injury suffered by the athlete.
Weight Room Supervision and Safety: A Lesson for Coaches
While Johnson’s personal injury lawsuit works its way through the court system, coaches can learn from this incident. Coaches need to revisit their own policies and procedures when their athletes are using a weight room to ensure their athletes’ safety.
Sharing Johnson’s story with other athletes can be an effective way to highlight the dangers that can happen in a weight room as well as provide an opportunity to review basic safety guidelines and effective spotting techniques for all sports programs utilizing strength training.
References
Klein, G. (January 25, 2011). Stafon Johnson sues USC. Los Angeles Times: Los Angeles, California.
National Strength and Conditioning Association. (2008). Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning. (3rd Ed.). Human Kinetics: Champaign, IL.
Prentice, W. (2010). Essentials of Athletic Injury Management. McGraw Hill: New York, NY.
Sports.espn.go.com, “Stafon Johnson files suit against USC”, (accessed on January 25, 2011).
Terry Zeigler - Educating through writing with over twenty-five years of experience as a Kinesiology Professor and Certified Athletic Trainer.
Join the Conversation