JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A local lawyer has filed a lawsuit on behalf of a Jacksonville boxer who was injured to the point that she can no longer take care of herself.
Ishika Lay was training to qualify for and compete in the 2012 Olympics and was seen as a favorite to win gold.
The lawsuit has been filed against her chiropractor and boxing coach, Linda Banister, as well as the chiropractic clinic, Dunn Wellness.
The suit alleges that Banister and the clinic didn't test Lay for a concussion after she suffered a head injury in September 2011.
According to the lawsuit, Banister drove Lay to an Olympic qualifying tournament in Ohio less than two weeks later, where Lay collapsed and lost consciousness during a match. John Phillips, the family's attorney, said Lay should have never been cleared to fight.
"She was injured, complained of brain injury, exhaustion," said Phillips. "Blurred vision, double vision. Her chiropractor ultimately gave her hydrocodone to mask the pain."
"People that was in her corner should've been more aware of who she was in the ring with and her trainer should've been more studious about her care," said Lay's mother, Blanchie Wingo.
She was hospitalized in Ohio for a month before being moved to a rehab facility.
The lawsuit says Lay suffered permanent brain damage because of the defendants' negligence.
"She's a chiropractor. She doesn't know about neurology, she shouldn't be treating neurology. Somebody has a brain injury, they should go to a neurologist and the chiropractor should send them there," said Phillips.
Channel 4 has left a message for Banister seeking comment on the lawsuit but has not yet heard back.