An unfortunate accident proved not all foam pits are built the same and their depths should never be overestimated.
Popular Twitch streamer Adriana Chechik was on an adrenaline rush when she triumphantly leaped into a foam pit at TwitchCon and broke her back.
Chechik has 3.8 million followers on Instagram and over 801,000 on Twitch, where she streams herself gaming, making ASMR content and performing a variety of stunts.
She also has been consistently nominated for Female Performer of the Year at the Adult Video News Awards awards.
Following her painful landing at the annual convention in San Diego on Saturday, Chechik revealed the extent of her injuries to her followers the next day.
She wrote on Twitter:
"Well, I broke my back in two places and am getting surgery to put a meter rod in for support today. Send your support."
"When it rains it pours and I am definitely feeling the rain right now."
\u201cWell, I broke my back in two places and am getting surgery to put a meter rod in for support today. Send your support. When it rains it pours and I am definitely feeling the rain right now.\u201d— adriana chechik (@adriana chechik) 1665321502
You would think a foam pit would be one of the safest places for rough-housing, but they're not exactly built for acrobatics.
The moment in which the adult performer conquered gaming streamer EdyBot in a foam staff battle and jumped off a small podium into the air in a split and landed on her tailbone was captured on Livestream and then posted to Reddit and other social media platforms.
WARNING: painful stunt
\u201cProbably the most painful thing I\u2019ve seen in awhile. Twitch streamer Adriana Chechik has confirmed broken her back in two separate places following this jump at TwitchCon\u201d— Jake Lucky (@Jake Lucky) 1665334600
\u201c@JakeSucky That\u2019s was an extremely shallow foam pit\u201d— Jake Lucky (@Jake Lucky) 1665334600
Her excitement from the victory quickly gave way to her writhing from the pain and being immobile from the impact.
"I can't get out," she can be heard saying.
\u201c@JakeSucky who the hell made this foam pit?\u201d— Jake Lucky (@Jake Lucky) 1665334600
Wincing social media users wished her a speedy recovery from the unfortunate incident.
\u201c@adrianachechik Oh my gosh! Those people need to be held responsible!! I\u2019m so sorry to hear that angel!! Send you love and a fast recovery. \ud83d\udc95\u201d— adriana chechik (@adriana chechik) 1665321502
\u201cGod damn, I was there and caught it from a different angle, I knew she hurt herself but not that it was this serious... wishing you a speedy recovery \ud83d\ude4f\u201d— Swin | \ud83d\udd1e (@Swin | \ud83d\udd1e) 1665340800
\u201c@adrianachechik Sending best wishes \u2764\ufe0f \ud83d\udc95 \u2665\ufe0f\u201d— adriana chechik (@adriana chechik) 1665321502
\u201c@adrianachechik @Rosenrot_84 Omg thats awful! I hope u have a speedy recovery <3\u201d— adriana chechik (@adriana chechik) 1665321502
\u201c@adrianachechik @ChechikTv sending positive thoughts your way. May The Force Be With you Adriana. Hope for a speedy recovery.\u201d— adriana chechik (@adriana chechik) 1665321502
According to Buzzfeed News, the foam pit was "organized by computer-maker Lenovo and was part of their 'Legion by Lenovo' booth at the convention."
It apparently was the cause of other injuries as well.
\u201cBe careful on this thing guys. I\u2019m currently at the hospital seeing if I broke anything. \ud83e\udd79\u201d— LochVaness (@LochVaness) 1665337468
\u201cIt's been an overwhelming 48 hours but I am okay and back at home resting. \n\nI want to thank all of those who wished me well and helped me when I was down. I appreciate you all. \ud83d\udc95\n\nYa girl don't go down without a bang. I broke my ankle all 3 possible ways \ud83e\udd29\u201d— Zums (@Zums) 1665292204
Buzzfeed paid a visit to the pit of peril while it was closed after being open earlier in the day.
While they said the "foam pieces felt somewhat squishy but were still rather firm," they estimated the pit itself was roughly two feet deep with some kind of mat covering the convention center's concrete floor.
The media outlet noted one British manufacturer of foam pits indicated the depth of foam pits should be more than two feet.
The Gympit Foam website states:
"In a standard gymnastic foam pit it is recommended that the pit is 6-8 feet (around 2 metres) deep along with base pit liner foam."
Following Chechik's injury, Lenovo issued Buzzfeed the following statement:
"We are aware of the incidents of TwitchCon visitors who sustained injuries in the gladiator game soft foam pit at the Lenovo booth."
"Safety remains our top priority and we are working with event organizers to look into the incidents."
