All-American college gymnast dies at 20 after falling off uneven bars and suffering spinal cord injury
An All- American college gymnast, 20, died after she slipped off the uneven bars and suffered a spinal cord injury during training.
Melanie Coleman passed away on Sunday, November 10, just two days after the unfortunate accident that took place during a practice session at the Southern Connecticut State University, as per school officials. The tragic accident took place when Coleman was training on the uneven bars, an apparatus that she has worked with thousands of times.
Coleman's former coach, Thomas Alberti, shared with the Hartford Courant, "It was an unexpected accident with a tragic result". The university president, Joe Bertolino, called Coleman's death a "tragic loss" and offered condolences to her friends and family. Coleman had been a former All-State gymnast at the Jonathan Law High School in Milford. She had also been the third female sibling in her family to compete in a sport.
Alberti also added that Coleman had achieved the highest level in the USA Junior Olympics Program. Earlier this year, she had been named as a Women's Collegiate Gymnastics Association Scholastic All-American.
A GoFundMe campaign had been started in order to help raise money for funeral expenses. As of Monday afternoon, the page had already managed to raise $31,000. Campaign organizer Anna Andrich wrote on Sunday, "Melanie gained her angel wings tonight and was able to give life to others".
"Please continue to pray for the entire Coleman family as they experience this unfathomable loss," Andrich continued. Coleman's current coach, Mary Fredericks, released a statement saying, "We are heartbroken and stunned by Melanie's passing. She was an incredibly hard worker and a sweet-spirited young woman. Our thoughts and prayers continue to go out to her family at this time. The SCSU Gymnastics team will miss her greatly though she will always be with us".