High School Junior Injured at New Jersey Cheerleading Camp

Two weeks after a high school cheerleader attending Summit High School in Hackensack had her braces removed, she was elbowed in the mouth accidentally by another member of the squad during a stunt at a summer training camp called RAMS All Star Cheering. According to the girl’s mother, the accident pushed the girl’s front tooth backward into the roof of her mouth, requiring immediate oral surgery.

Eight days later, a root canal was required, as well as two more the following day. With no dental insurance, the girl’s mother was required to pay the portion of the dental expenses that the high school’s insurance policy did not cover. Starting on Sept. 6, 2012, she continually attempted to contact RAMS by phone, in person and by certified mail regarding their insurance coverage. Her calls went unanswered, and the certified letter was marked unclaimed.

Meanwhile, her daughter required more dental work, including fillings, a mouth guard, another root canal and possible cosmetic surgery in the future. According to her mother, the dental bills continued, but she still could not reach RAMS. So far, she stated that she has paid out $2,000, and future dental work is expected to be in the thousands of dollars.

Anytime someone is injured on someone’s property, whether it is private or commercial, premises liability could cover the resulting medical expenses. A personal injury attorney could help the victim to seek a claim against the responsible party for compensation that could help with those expenses. An attorney may also be able to assist in contacting reluctant parties who may have information necessary to pursuing a possible personal injury claim.

Source: NJ.com, “Bamboozled: Cheerleader gets the rah-rah runaround from cheer camp after injury“, Karin Price Mueller, July 22, 2014