According to The Associated Press, SeaWorld is reportedly asking an administrative law judge to dismiss three federal citations handed down after an investigation into the death of Dawn Brancheau in February 2010.The news source reports that a federal judge ruled the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) was allowed to use the video of the woman's death in order to supplement their case, but the attorneys representing the federal agency reportedly decided against showing footage of the drowning.
The incident reportedly involved the trainer being drowned by a killer whale at SeaWorld, according to the news provider. Recently, a witness disagreed with the widely held belief that the woman was pulled into the water by her ponytail.
OSHA attorneys reportedly did show a video lasting approximately 16 minutes that was taken by a witness during the incident, but the footage was reportedly cut just prior to the actual drowning. The accident reportedly occurred during a special dining show taking place at the theme park, and video shows the trainer feeding the whale at the edge of the pool and later swimming in the water with the animal, the news source said.
As the trial in the SeaWorld case continues, another case involving an amusement park accident was recently settled, according to the Los Angeles Times.
READ MORE AMUSEMENT PARK ACCIDENT LEGAL NEWS
According to the news provider, the cable, which was severed from the ride, inflicted muscle damage to the boy's leg and forced him to undergo multiple surgeries as well as physical therapy to recover from the incident. The boy's father, who was sitting next to him, reportedly had debris sprayed in his face during the accident.
"I literally thought I had just watched my son and husband die in front of my eyes," the mother of the boy wrote in an online chat room after the accident, the news source reports. "This whole experience has been terribly hard on my whole family. I am overwhelmed with emotion most days."