Ashley Burns (May 16, 1991 - August 9, 2005) was a 14 year old schoolgirl from Medford, Massachusetts who died in a cheerleading accident on 9 August 2005 at Tewksbury, Massachusetts. Burns had been a cheerleader for seven years with the Pop Warner cheerleaders. On her entry to high school, she was intending to join the Medford High School squad.

Burns was practicing an arabesque double down at a training session where she was held by one foot and tossed in the air. She was supposed to twirl twice before landing on her back in the arms of her teammates. Apparently, she did not rotate fully and landed chest-down, although she did not hit the ground. Her death was ruled accidental, as a result of a lacerated spleen caused by blunt abdominal trauma.

The Boston Globe reported: "According to the National Center for Catastrophic Sport Injury Research, high school girls suffered 70 severe injuries between 1982 and 2004 - half of them in cheerleading. Four other high school cheerleaders have died during that period from injuries related to the sport." Nevertheless, injury and death rates are very low for high school athletes given the rates of participation.[487]

External links

As cheerleaders fly higher, injury rates rise - MSNBC.com 25 October 2005

Northeastallstars Tribute to Ashley

Boston Globe 12 August 2005: Teen's Death ruled accidental

CNN.com 10 August 2005

CNN.com 17 August 2005

Tewksbury Advocate 18 August 2005: Death ruled accidental

About Pop Warner cheerleading squads

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