[Sportschosun reporter Park Aram] Gabrielle Henry, Jamaica's representative at last year's Miss Universe pageant, has taken legal action against the organizers, claiming that she suffered a serious brain injury after falling from the stage during the competition.
According to local media reports, Gabrielle Henry participated in the Miss Universe pageant held in Bangkok, Thailand, last November. She was walking the runway in a brightly colored dress during the preliminary stage when she suddenly fell from the edge of the stage.
In the lawsuit, Henry's side claimed that the intense lighting on the stage made it difficult to see the floor clearly. They also said there was an opening approximately 1.5 meters deep in the stage, but no warning signs or safety measures had been put in place.
Gabrielle Henry was taken to a hospital immediately after the accident and was reportedly treated for a traumatic brain injury and multiple brain hemorrhages. Her representatives said she continued to receive long-term treatment and rehabilitation, traveling between medical facilities in Bangkok and Jamaica from November last year through March this year.
Gabrielle Henry had been completing a residency to pursue a career as an ophthalmologist, but she claims that the accident prevented her from continuing the program normally. She explained that the incident also affected her career path as a medical professional.
Gabrielle Henry said that her life changed dramatically after the accident. "I fell into a hole in an unguarded moment and suffered a traumatic brain injury, which permanently changed the direction of my life," she said. "What had been a beautiful moment instantly turned into a shattered dream."
She also opened up about her recovery, saying, "The process of recovering from a traumatic brain injury is difficult to describe in words. It felt as if I had experienced an out-of-body experience and returned to another world rather than the one I had known."
Henry's legal representatives said they were seeking to hold the Miss Universe Organizing Committee and related companies accountable for negligence, facility-management failures and the mental distress caused by the accident. They also claimed that the opening in the stage had not been properly secured and that contestants had raised concerns about the danger during rehearsals, but no separate measures were taken.
The pageant organizers, however, have offered a different account from Henry's. In connection with last year's accident, Miss Grand International previously stated that the main cause was Henry's decision to walk the runway without properly familiarizing herself with the stage route.
Immediately after the accident, the organizing committee also said that Gabrielle Henry had suffered no fractures and was resting at a hospital. After the extent of her injuries became known, the committee stated that the serious fall had resulted in significant injuries and that it would fulfill its responsibilities, including covering medical expenses.
Gabrielle Henry has continued working toward a return to everyday life while undergoing treatment and rehabilitation. She has shared footage of herself exercising during rehabilitation and made her first official public appearance since the accident at a charity event in Atlanta, United States, last May.
Last August, she returned to the stage and presented the crown to Miss Jamaica 2026, appearing in public once again.
Regarding the lawsuit, the Miss Universe Organizing Committee told local media that it had not yet been officially served with the lawsuit or related documents and that it was difficult to comment on unverified claims.
tokkig@sportschosun.com
This article has been translated by GripLabs Mingo AI.
