Woman hit with £12k dental bill when teeth were broke by rock star
A woman has been in agony for four years after a crowd-surfing American rock star broke five of her teeth.
Jennifer Lovell was just 16 when Casey Calvert, of the globally successful band Hawthorne Heights, leapt from the stage at Bristol Academy fracturing her front teeth and injuring her head.
Ms Lovell, now 20, has never been able to afford the £12,000 to get her teeth fixed.
Calvert was not insured to stage dive in the UK, so Ms Lovell has found it very hard to get any compensation to pay for the much needed treatment.
Since the incident Ms Lovell has suffered anxiety attacks, depression, and years of insomnia.
Headaches caused by the incident are so bad never she never completed her A-levels in forensic psychology, losing out on going to university and a potentially lucrative career.
Ms Lovell received just $1,700, which works at £1038.19 in the current climate, when Calvert died in 2007.
She said the incident changed her from an outgoing teen to an anxiety-ridden introvert.
When Calvert landed on Ms Lovell’s head the impact caused concussion and a fractured jaw. Her teeth were damaged when her face smashed against a metal barrier as Calvert was dragged from the crowd.
She was treated by medics at the scene and Calvert promised to help with the costs. However, the band’s American insurance company did not cover them for stage diving as it is illegal in the US.
Ms Lovell tried to get damages from Calvert’s estate when he died on the tour bus in 2007, ironically as a result of mixing root canal medication.
Her mother Kathy said Calvert’s widow was lovely and had tried to help but discovered there was no money left in the estate.
Hawthorne Heights’ management are now looking into the case.
Ms Lovell’s teeth cannot be capped because they were fractured below and above the gum line. The teeth need to be replaced with permanent dentures, which can only be done privately.
The injury has left her unable to bite and she lives in fear that the she could lose her fragile teeth at anytime.
Torquay law firm Boyce Hatton have been representing Ms Lovell on a no win no fee basis.
Mark Pierce, Boyce Hatton partner, said the band were covered by a public liability policy. However, that expressly ruled out crowd surfing.
He added that he could not sue the rest of the band as the incidents were caused by the act of one man.
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