Wheaton gym sued over death of 7-year-old

A children’s gym in west suburban Wheaton is facing a lawsuit from the family of a 7-year-old boy who died after using the gym’s zip line at a friend’s birthday party.

Brady Doughty was injured Sept. 30 at My Gym Children’s Fitness Center when a spotter failed to follow him down a zip line, according to a statement by the law firm Corboy and Demetrio.

Doughty was flung into an unpadded pole and then hit his head on a concrete floor, according to the law firm, which said he was not wearing a harness or a helmet during the incident.

The boy died two days later from a skull fracture and brain injury, the law firm said.

The lawsuit alleges the gym failed to properly supervise Doughty on the zip line, and also failed to properly install and use safety devices, the law firm said.

“The Doherty family is worried about similar unsafe zip line attractions throughout the county and hope this case prompts My Gym to remove its zip line from all locations,” attorney Michael Demetrio said in a statement.

The lawsuit was filed Thursday in Cook County Circuit Court, the law firm said.