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SeaWorld Trainer Killed in Orca Attack

Any California dog bite lawyer will tell you that no animal, no matter how friendly and well trained, is completely predictable. That’s the reason why there are such huge numbers of dog bite attacks in California every year. Animal behavior is impulsive, and failure to understand and appreciate this, can lead to disastrous consequences.

In an example of such behavior, a killer whale at a SeaWorld in Orlando dragged its trainer by her hair into the water, and killed her. The tragic incident which occurred yesterday, has already made news headlines over the world. This tragedy illustrates the fine line that separates the wild from the trained, and how quickly this line can be crossed. The victim, Dawn Brancheau was giving the killer whale Tilikum, a post rub after the show of the day. Suddenly, the whale grabbed Brancheau by the hair and pulled her into the water. It was after the show had ended, so there were just a few witnesses and members of the audience who were loitering round, who noticed the incident. They say the whale grabbed Brancheau into the pool and dragged her around. It then flung her body from side to side. It was not immediately apparent whether Brancheau died as a result of injuries sustained during the thrashing, or if she drowned.

Shockingly enough, this isn’t even the first time that the killer whale had been involved in a death like this. In fact, this was not Tilikum’s first brush with a tragic incident involving a human being. The first occurred back in 1991 when a trainer fell into the pool during a training session.  She was dragged around the pool several times by three whales, one of which was Tilikum. That incident occurred at a Sealand facility in British Columbia.  The second incident occurred at SeaWorld in Orlando, the same venue of this week’s attack, and involved a man who was found dead and draped on Tilikum’s back.  He had either fallen into the tank, jumped in, or had been pulled into the pool by Tilikum. The cause of death was determined as drowning. There were bruises and scratch marks on his body.

Some of the witnesses and employees at the facility reported that Tilikum had been acting unusually fidgety and restive that day. Right now, Tilikum is still at SeaWorld and so far, there no plans to euthanize him. Apparently, because of his past safety record and his size, very few trainers at SeaWorld were allowed to work with Tilikum. Dawn Brancheau was one of just 7 or 8 trainers at SeaWorld who were allowed to handle the orca.

Animal rights groups will say that this shows that orcas should be in the wild, and not performing circus acts for the cheering public. California injury lawyers, however will have other questions too. You have to wonder why SeaWorld went ahead to place an animal that was linked to at least two other fatal incidents involving human beings, in the show.

The Reeves Law Group is a law firm with offices throughout California dedicated exclusively to the representation of personal injury victims, including victims of animal attacks and wrongful death. Please visit our website at trlglaw.com. If you desire a free consultation on a personal injury matter, please call us at (800) 644-8000 or email us.

The Reeves Law Group is not acting as legal counsel for any party in the matters discussed in this posting.

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