Joanne Webber, then 26 years old, was training orcas at SeaWorld in 1987 when she had a terrible experience that altered her course in life. She shattered her neck when in the tank with the enormous 6,000-pound orca known as Kandu V. She was forced to the bottom of the pool as the orca fell on her.
Kandu V was not the first instance to occur. The whale had a track record of acting aggressively. When former SeaWorld trainer John Hargrove learned of the incident later, he remembered that Webber was screaming, “I think my neck is broken,” and was in “excruciating pain” as she attempted to get out of the pool.
Webber was practicing when Kandu V leaped into the air, crashed hard on her, broke her neck, and pushed her under. Later, Webber sued SeaWorld, and the matter was settled out-of-court for a sum of money that was not disclosed.
SeaWorld forbade trainers from swimming with orcas following this event. They insisted that their orcas were well-cared for and did not exhibit aggression. Webber’s lawsuit, however, asserted that the orcas’ safety and gentleness had been misrepresented to her. In addition, she said that staff members made her take off her wetsuit in order to prevent damage, delaying her treatment.
