Jack Greener enrolled into the “Del Mar Jiu-Jitsu Club” back in 2018.
During one of the classes, the BJJ white belt was pinned to the mat by a coach, who placed his entire bodyweight on Greener’s neck.
The student, then 23 years old, fell limp, as the force of the technique crushed his cervical vertebrae. As a result, Greener was left paralyzed.
His lawyers said that he underwent multiple surgeries and was hospitalized for months.
Now a quadriplegic, Greener sought out “compensation for medical expenses, loss of earnings, and emotional distress”. Jurors ruled in his favor and he was awarded $46 million.
Rener Gracie was called in to testify as an expert witness.
Here’s what he had to say about his view of the case, in a recent Instagram post:
This case was a tragedy in every sense. 23-year-old white belt, Jack Greener, was sparring at a BJJ school in San Diego when the black belt instructor did a technique that placed his entire bodyweight on Greener’s neck causing him to instantly fall limp and lose all function of his limbs.
Jack, an aspiring surf instructor, will never regain full function of his limbs, but I’m hopeful that this ruling will ease the burdens that he and his family will face for the rest of his life.
I’m also hopeful that this case will serve as a much needed reminder to the entire industry of the massive responsibility we shoulder every time a new student trusts us to guide them on their Jiu-Jitsu journey.
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Greener is now focused on ascending USA’s and world’s tallest peaks, through technical climbing and hiking.
Read more about his goals and journey on Paralyzed to Peaks.
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