Jiu-jitsu student, 30, is handed huge sum after being left a quadriplegic due to terrifying move in beginner's lesson
White belt Jack Greener, 30, was sparring with second-degree black belt teacher Francisco Iturralde when his cervical vertebrae was crushed in a terrifying move.
Greener filed a lawsuit against the Del Mar Jiu Jitsu club in San Diego, California, owned by a man named Michael Phelps, on the grounds that the club was responsible for fractured neck and spinal cord injury that forever altered his life on November 29, 2018.
An appellate district court awarded Greener $46 million in damages in 2023, and the California Supreme Court declined to review an appeal on May 20, which closed the case. Now with post-judgment interest, Greener's total exceeds $56 million.
The California Supreme Court's decision represents a long battle for Greener, who was hospitalized for months after the accident and suffered multiple strokes.
According to his website, he was in surgery for nine hours to remove the blood clots in his brain and was given two days to show improvement, or he'd be offered assisted suicide.
He was weeks away from graduating college and was hoping to start his career as a professional surf instructor when he was paralyzed.
Greener started the sport in 2015 and was a white belt, which is the first level in jiu-jitsu, before he sparred with Iturralde in 2018
He attended classes at a different dojo but stopped because it was too far from his home, according to the court judgement.
Greener then started classes at the Del Mar Jiu Jitsu club in early November 2018. Later that month, he sparred with his instructor at the end of a class.
He was in the 'turtle position' with his elbows and knees on the floor when Iturralde 'lost control and injured Greener.'
Iturralde testified that Greener seemed highly experienced for a white belt and had expressed a desire to be competitive in the sport.
He admitted that the move was 'dangerous' and he wouldn't execute it if he 'could not safely' do so.
'While sparring with Greener during a BJJ class, Iturralde gave no demonstration or active instruction,' the court judgement read.
'Instead, he acted more like a student coparticipant than an instructor when he immobilized and executed a series of maneuvers on Greener.
'But as an instructor with superior knowledge and skill of BJJ, Iturralde was differently situated from other students, and thus he can—and we conclude should—be held to a different standard.'
The court concluded that there was evidence Iturralde 'knew he had created a situation posing a heightened risk to Greener's safety' and argued that the risk of immobilizing a student is not inherent in jiu jitsu sparring.
Phelps and Iturralde's representation argued that students should assume risk when participating in combat sports, but the court maintained that the black-belt instructors should be held to a higher standard than their student counterparts.
One of Greener's attorneys, Rahul Ravipudi, told local NBC affiliate, KNSD, that the court's ruling, 'cements a critical legal victory not only for our client, but also for injured athletes across California by reaffirming that sports instructors and facilities may be held accountable when they unreasonably increase risks beyond those inherent in the sport.'
Greener has since used his story to motivate others and documented his journey to become one of only two people with his disability to go above 14,000 feet on foot when he climbed Mount Bross in Colorado, according to his website.
In January 2019, he started to regain movement and could walk with the help of a cane.
His next goal is to be the first with his condition to ascend Mount Whitney in California, which has an elevation of 14,505 feet.
Greener (pictured climbing a mountain on his Instagram on April 13) has now taken up climbing and was one of only two people with his disability to ascend 14,000 feet on foot
Last November, he posted a reflection on his Instagram about the six years since he was paralyzed.
'6 years to infinity. The PTSD of the actual situation has all but healed. Having spent April 23' to now mending the prior four years. Which tbh is pretty cool. And I'm left to mend the remaining pieces as it pertains to courtrooms, suits and ties.
'Honestly, I've not achieved much of anything in 2024 and have seemingly regressed in career, finances, etc. Much of it out of my control. But that's ok, progress and growth isn't linear.
'The good news is I have a few doors in front of me And relatively speaking, I'm happy and secure. So here's to hoping the right doors open.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
7 hours ago
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE New mom details shocking cost of giving birth in America
A new mom has shared the shockingly high cost of giving birth in America - and it's well over six figures. Emily Fisher, 36, from Columbus, Ohio, welcomed twin girls last month and was left stunned when she saw an insurance claim come through for her delivery that was over $10,000. Completely shocked by the immense figure, she decided to go back and total up all the bills she had received over the course of her pregnancy to determine just how much having a baby in the US really costs. And after adding everything up, Emily found that having her baby girls would have cost her a whopping $120,527.51 had she not had insurance. She shared her findings in a video shared to TikTok earlier this month and it quickly went viral, leaving thousands across the globe just as surprised as she was. 'So I am five weeks postpartum with twin girls and I've been seeing a lot of headlines recently about how the birth rate in America is declining and how concerning that is,' Emily began in the video. 'I thought to myself, I could think of a lot of reasons why the birth rate might be declining. First and foremost, cost. 'So I decided to take it upon myself and look at every bill that I received over the course of my pregnancy and total what it costs to deliver twins in America.' Emily explained that she is considered 'advanced maternal age' and was pregnant with 'dichorionic diamniotic twins' which made her pregnancy 'high risk.' In addition, about halfway through the pregnancy her doctor raised concerns about potential 'fetal growth restriction,' so from about 22 weeks on she had to have two appointments every week with her OBGYN and a maternal fetal medicine specialist to make sure the babies were healthy. 'So what was the total cost of that? From the start of my pregnancy through delivery and me walking out of those hospital doors, the total bill for my care was $120,527.51,' she said in the video. 'Now I am very fortunate great insurance and I have a low deductible so over the course of my pregnancy out of pocket I paid $2,038.70. 'I know that is relatively good but still, $2,000 for something that is considered necessary and vital to the future of America is pretty significant.' Emily added that on top of that, her newborns both received bills for their delivery. 'It's kind of funny, they're not even able to blink yet and they've already been billed more than the total cost of my student loans,' she continued. 'Baby A received a bill for $15,124.55 and Baby B was billed $14,875.55, I guess there was some sort of sibling discount. She added, 'The total cost I owed for those two bills was $750, which was the cost of my deductible.' The bills are seen above 'The total cost I owed for those two bills was $750, which was the cost of my deductible.' She then broke down what some of the highest costs were during the pregnancy. Unsurprisingly, the delivery itself and the hospital stay afterwards was the most costly expense. Emily explained that she had a scheduled C-section at 37 weeks and spent four days in the hospital post delivery, and the total cost of her care before insurance was $65,665.50. The second highest cost during the pregnancy was an appointment she had about seven months in, during which she complained to her doctor that she was having headaches. She said they took her blood pressure and it was slightly elevated, so they monitored the heart rate of the babies for 20 minutes to 'make sure they were okay.' She was then given 'two extra strength Tylenol' and they 'did some blood work.' 'The cost that was billed to my insurance for that visit was $9,115,' shared the new mom. 'All things considered, I'm very grateful for the experience that I had and very grateful to have great insurance, but I know that for a lot of people who live in America that is simply not possible,' she concluded. 'And if I did not have insurance delivery my two baby girls, I would not be able to afford it. 'In fact, I probably would have had to file bankruptcy had I not had insurance. So when people act confused why the birth rates are down, maybe it's not necessarily all attributed to lifestyle choices, maybe it's not because people aren't feeling the vibe of having kids, maybe it's because the cost of having a baby in America is over six figures.' While chatting with the Daily Mail about it, Emily, who used to work on the healthcare space, said she believes the insurance system in America 'needs a complete overhaul.' 'Given that the US is the one of (if not the only) developed nation in the world without some sort of universal healthcare, we're falling behind,' she said. 'People are spending too much on basic and necessary care. Medical debt is one of the number one reasons for bankruptcy in the US, and it shouldn't be that way. 'If we invested in a system that put the health its people first, everyone would be better off. 'And given the decline in birth rates, if our politicians are genuinely concerned about falling birth rates, they would be incentivizing people to have children. You shouldn't have to pay to give birth.' She added that while she was 'shocked' by the high number that her insurance was billed, she was 'not surprised at the same time.' 'The first thing that came to mind when I saw the total was, "How do people without insurance afford this?"' she shared. 'But I've always known that healthcare in America is a business. Ultimately, like most necessities in the US, privatized insurance is designed to make money.' She said she certainly wasn't expecting her video, which was viewed more than one million times, to get as much attention as it did, but she's so glad that it has sparked a conversation. 'I hope my video makes people think twice about having kids in America. Because until the system is redesigned to truly support the people, we shouldn't be buying into it,' she concluded. 'I'm fortunate to have good health coverage. I'm not on the hook for much as far as the cost of my pregnancy, but that is only the beginning for my family and what we'll pay to raise my kids. 'Now we have to think about things like paying for their health coverage, daycare, food, housing and college. 'All of these things are only getting more and more expensive and almost unreachable for people.'
Daily Mail
7 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Report: Blackstone executive identified as victim in NYC shooting
The shooting took place at a skyscraper that is home to the headquarters of both the NFL and Blackstone, one of the world's largest investment firms, as well as other tenants. After spraying bullets in the lobby, the gunman took the elevator to the 33rd floor, where real-estate management firm Rudin Management is based, and killed another person before turning the gun on himself. The Rudin family - a New York real estate dynasty - owns the building. 'We lost four souls to another senseless act of gun violence,' said Mayor Eric Adams . The gunman had a 'documented mental health history,' according to Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch, but his motive was still unknown. The rampage happened at the end of the workday in the same part of Manhattan where the chief executive of UnitedHealthcare was gunned down outside a hotel late last year. Tamura's motive for the massacre remains unclear as of Tuesday morning. Blackstone employees shared messages during the rampage saying there was a shooter in the lobby and warning not to go downstairs, an employee told the WSJ. Some started barricading themselves in their offices and bathrooms. One of those injured is an NFL employee, commissioner Roger Goodell said in a letter to staff. The employee was reportedly seriously injured but is in stable condition at the hospital. Surveillance video showed the man exiting a double-parked BMW just before 6.30pm carrying an M4 rifle, then marching across a public plaza into the building. Then, he started firing. Slain NYPD officer Islam (pictured), 36, was an immigrant from Bangladesh who had served as a police officer in New York City for 3 1/2 years, Tisch said at a news conference. He was one of two NYPD officers working paid detail at the building. 'He was doing the job that we asked him to do. He put himself in harm's way. He made the ultimate sacrifice,' Tisch said. 'He died as he lived. A hero.' Tisch said an initial investigation shows the gunman's vehicle traveled across the country, passing through Colorado on July 26, then Nebraska and Iowa on July 27. The car was in Columbia, New Jersey, as recently as 4.24pm Monday. He drove into New York City shortly thereafter, she said.
Reuters
7 hours ago
- Reuters
D-backs (and Tigers) await news on Eugenio Suarez's hand
July 29 - There was plenty of drama during the first game of the Arizona-Detroit series on Monday night, though it had little to do with the outcome. The Tigers and Diamondbacks will play the second game of the three-game series on Tuesday evening in Detroit. The Diamondbacks and the many trade suitors for Eugenio Suarez got a huge scare in the ninth inning when the slugging third baseman was hit in the hand by a Will Vest pitch. Suarez said afterward that X-rays on his index finger were negative. He planned to have more tests on Tuesday. "Right now, it's painful, obviously. The good news is the X-ray was negative," he said postgame. "We'll see (Tuesday) what else they're going to do. Right now, I will do my best to try to be back soon." The Tigers are one of many teams reportedly interested in the services of Suarez, who is among the top five in the majors with 36 homers. Detroit won the series opener 5-1 and will seek a third straight victory following a six-game slide. The Tigers' roster is in flux. Outfielder Kerry Carpenter was activated from the injured list on Sunday. The team learned on Monday that starting pitcher Reese Olson would miss at least the remainder of the regular season with a shoulder injury, so the Tigers acquired Chris Paddack from the Minnesota Twins to replace him. Detroit also placed outfielder Parker Meadows on the IL with a quad issue. Andy Ibanez, who was recalled from Triple-A Toledo, gave the offense a spark with a double and solo homer Monday night. "I told (Ibanez) before the game, don't try to make up for lost time in one game," Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said. "So if that's his way of just settling in -- bam, double, homer. I know it means a lot to him. It crushed him to be sent down. But he went down, did his work and waited for the next opportunity." American League All-Star Casey Mize (9-4, 3.40 ERA), who is scheduled to start for the Tigers on Tuesday, has gotten roughed up in his past two starts. The right-hander allowed six runs in three innings to the Seattle Mariners just before the break, then yielded five runs (four earned) and 10 hits in four innings at Pittsburgh last Tuesday in an 8-5 loss. "I just look at myself and what I can do better," Mize said. "I think the role of the starting pitcher is so important, just setting the tone for the game and not having those guys on the field for too long." Mize, who will face the Diamondbacks for the first time, originally was scheduled to pitch on Monday. He was given an extra day of rest after experiencing some minor knee tightness. Right-hander Brandon Pfaadt (10-6, 4.76 ERA), Mize's mound opponent, has delivered three straight solid starts. He held the San Diego Padres to two runs in eight innings on July 9. In his first outing after the All-Star break, Pfaadt tossed seven scoreless innings against St. Louis. In his latest start, he was charged with two runs in 5 1/3 innings in his team's 4-3 loss to the Houston Astros on Wednesday. Pfaadt didn't give up a run in the first five innings but was pulled shortly after allowing back-to-back doubles in the sixth. "Ran into some trouble in the sixth, and (it) came back to bite us," said Pfaadt, who will face the Tigers for the first time in his career. "That's what's most disappointing." --Field Level Media
