A woman on Long Island, New York, who practiced gymnastics as a teenager, decided to attempt a skill as an adult. She, however, landed badly, leading to months of rehabilitation and recovery and a broken neck.
The woman in question is Ashley Lafosse, also known online as Aerial Ash Cash. She is an aerialist who was a gymnast, and her content centers on her acrobatic feats. The clip attached above, showing the hard landing and the injury, garnered 17.8 million views, two million likes, and more than 37,300 comments.
In the video’s caption, the New York woman explained that she was a competitive gymnast as a teenager. She had decided to try adult gymnastics, so she attempted a skill. However, she ended up landing on her neck, resulting in a C1 fracture.
According to FlintRehab, a C1 injury can have catastrophic consequences. These include breathing difficulties, loss of movement and sensation, paralysis, bladder and bowel dysfunction, and, of course, death if no immediate medical attention is provided.
Clip Explained
In Ashley’s case, fortunately, her fracture didn’t result in long-term, debilitating conditions. In a follow-up clip, she explained, without a neck brace, that the injury had occurred on March 17, St. Patrick’s Day. She would then detail everything that happened afterward.
After the hard fall, she heard everyone screaming around her, telling her not to move, most likely aware of the implications of such an injury. She didn’t want to move but kept telling the people around her that she was okay and fine to de-escalate the situation.
“I was also embarrassed that I just took a pretty hard fall in front of everyone,” she said.
Eventually, she was given an ice pack and, shockingly, the New York woman drove herself home. On the way, she sent the video of her fall to her mother, who is also a nurse. Horrified, the woman asked Ashley, “How are you standing in front of me right now?“
Ashley asked for pain-relieving medication, but her mother immediately told her she had an axial compression and that she needed to go to the emergency room. She did, and that’s when doctors discovered the C1 fracture.
Reactions
The clip of the fall sparked many responses, most of them by users shocked by how the woman landed. One said, “Girl, did you upload this from the afterlife?” Another one commented, “This is why I stay home and eat chicken wings.”
Others were glad to know that she was okay following the fall. One wrote, “You could’ve been paralyzed! Glad you’re ok. Maybe try yoga?” Another one added, “Girl… Please remain seated lol don’t do this no moooooo.”
In a second follow-up, the New York woman detailed that she is still recovering from her injury, but was grateful that she walked away from it “scot-free”
