Coaches ‘Concealed’ 8-Year-Old After She Collapsed From Brain Bleed at Practice, Lawsuit Alleges
Reese Bryan died after suffering a brain bleed at her cheer gym two years ago, prompting her family to file a lawsuit.
An eight-year-old cheerleader from Nebraska died after suffering a massive brain bleed in 2024, and her parents have filed a wrongful death lawsuit.
Reese Bryan’s parents, Amanda and Tracy Bryan, filed the lawsuit against Elite Cheer Gym in Omaha and pediatrician Dr. Lars E. Vanderbur, seeking damages related to the incident on January 29, 2024.
The family alleged that Reese was forced to “repeatedly perform back flips, back hand springs and other tumbling activities” even though she showed symptoms of a serious health problem. The lawsuit also claims gym personnel threatened to “remove Reese from her role at the top of the pyramid and as a middle flyer if she failed to perform adequately."
Reese Bryan was suffering alone for several minutes before her death, her parents claimed in the latest lawsuit.
Reese Was Abandoned and No One Called 911, Family Says
Reese reportedly was dizzy, imbalanced and had slurred speech on the day of the incident. She had facial asymmetry, vomited, and collapsed on the gym mat, according to the lawsuit.
The filing also alleges she suffered hearing loss and could not walk or stand. “Despite all these symptoms, she was left alone, isolated and concealed behind mats with her classmates who were told by Elite Cheer personnel not to be with her,” her parents said in the lawsuit.
The lawsuit alleges Reese suffered for several minutes from a brain bleed while no one thought to call 911 or notified her family. The family said the delay in emergency medical care caused “worsening of her existing neurological condition” and “neurological damage”.
According to court documents, gym employees knew from prior experience that Reese vomiting during cheer or tumbling required emergency transport to the hospital.
Because of the alleged negligence, Reese’s mother drove her daughter to an emergency medical facility.
Reese Bryan was not taken to an emergency facility by her coaches even though she had facial asymmetry, vomited, and collapsed on the gym mat.
Reese’s Doctor Failed To Advise Brain Scans, Family Claims
The family also filed a lawsuit against Dr. Lars E. Vanderbur of Children’s Physicians, Nebraska, who had been Reese’s pediatrician since her birth in 2015. The filing states, “After returning to Omaha from the January 20, 2024, Kansas City competition, we took Reese to a local facility where she had symptoms of dizziness, horizontal nystagmus, ptosis on the right eye, and tested positive for strep throat.”
The family alleged Dr. Vanderbur may have missed more serious neurological warning signs by focusing on strep throat.
The lawsuit states that on January 25, 2024, Dr. Vanderbur diagnosed Reese with “post-infection fatigue” and did not refer her for additional follow-up care after similar complaints. Although imaging was considered, the doctor decided against it.
As a result, Reese’s underlying pilocytic astrocytoma tumor allegedly went undiagnosed and untreated. The filing claims that without the alleged of the standard of care, Reese would not have been participating in activities at Elite Cheer Gym on January 29, 2024. Instead, her tumor would have been discovered and likely treated successfully. The lawsuit states the tumor was curable.
Reese Was Our Heartbeat, Parents Say
Speaking to KETV Omaha, her parents described their daughter as “extraordinary.”
“She was an all-star cheerleader and really good for her age of eight, not only that, but as a softball player too,” Tracy Bryan said.
“Her energy was so contagious,” Tracy added. “She was our heartbeat.”
“Everyone said that she was their best friend,” Amanda Bryan said.
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