Katie May, the self-titled “Queen of Snapchat,” died in early 2016 at the age of 34 after a photoshoot accident. Now her ex (also the father of her only child) is seeking a “seven-figure” payout from the chiropractor who “adjusted” her after the fall on set.
According to the Los Angeles coroner’s report, May died “from infarction of the brain along with vertebral artery dissection” and a “blunt force injury of the neck.” The model’s death has been ruled accidental with the cause of death stemming from “neck manipulation from a chiropractor.”
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The chiropractor has been identified as Eric Swartz. The coroner determined that Swartz “adjusted” May’s neck, tearing her left vertebral artery, which blocked blood flow to the brain, ultimately resulting in a stroke.
May’s eight-year-old daughter, Mia, is the sole survivor to her estate; the little girl’s father, who remains unnamed, is the individual suing Swartz. The father is currently Mia’s legal guardian, and he’s hoping to settle out of court.
“The coroner’s report takes the unusual but definitive step of concluding the chiropractor’s treatment was the cause and fact of Katie May’s death,” the estate’s lawyer, Ronald Richards, said. “We have been in contact with a legal representative for the chiropractor and expect to submit a demand shortly with the chiropractor’s insurance carrier. We are hopeful that the chiropractor will want to resolve the matter to avoid further injury to all parties to this unfortunate tragedy.”
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May’s father, Walter, and her brother Stephen are not involved in this lawsuit, though Stephen did start up a GoFundMe page to directly benefit Mia. So far, he’s managed to raise about a third of the goal.
A chiropractor (unrelated to Katie’s case) told People that the chance of a torn artery from an adjustment is “very, very rare.”
“In this particular case, unfortunately, her arteries got compromised so much they tore, which created a stroke and ultimately the patient died,” said Todd Sinett, a chiropractor and author of Three Weeks to a Better Back. “Statistically speaking, studies have the chances of this happening an anywhere from one in one million to one in four million.”
May suffered a neck injury when she fell during a photo shoot on Jan. 29, a week before her death. She experienced pain, had the adjustment by her chiropractor and was examined at the hospital, but was released the same day. She even tweeted about the pain.
May had a huge presence on social media, with nearly two million people following her on Instagram. She modelled for dozens of publications including Playboy and Sports Illustrated.
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