Christopher Tierney, the acrobat/stunt double who was injured when a safety line malfunctioned last Monday during a performance of Spider-Man Turn Out the Dark, has taken his first steps after suffering multiple injuries thanks to a fall of more than 20 feet.  Tierney was falling headfirst, but managed to tuck and land on his right side rather than on his head.  Still Tierney sustained multiple injuries including a hairline skull fracture, a broken scapula, four broken ribs, a broken bone in his elbow, three fractured vertebrae, and a bruised lung.

Tierney’s father told the New York Times that after back surgery his son was able to take a few steps with the aid of a brace and a walker.  Since the surgery to repair his back did not involve fusing the vertebrae, it is possible that Tierney will eventually be able to resume his career as a dancer.

The accident was just the latest setback for the $65 million Spider-Man Turn Out the Dark musical.  Tierney’s accident resulted in the cancellation of two performances on Wednesday (see “Spider-Man Show Cancelled”), but the Spider-Man musical resumed performances on Thursday after the implementation of a new safety plan calls for more backstage personnel to help with the rigging of the performers for the aerial sequences.  Tierney’s father told the Times that his son was “chomping at the bit” to get back to dancing and to resume his acrobatic role in the Spider-Man musical.