A New York fitness trainer was partially paralyzed after plummeting several floors in a broken elevator, and has filed a personal injury lawsuit against his apartment and the elevator manufacturer.

The trainer, 34-year-old Corey Hill, who lives in New York City and runs popular fitness dance classes, was injured in November when he pressed an elevator button to travel to his apartment building’s lobby and started free-falling to the lobby floor, according to a report from the New York Post.

After the accident, Hill told sources that it was “the scariest thing I’ve ever experienced in my life,” which was notable because Hill has also been sky-diving.

Apparently, the elevator eventually slammed to a halt before it reached the lobby floor, which has led to a dispute between Hill and the property manager.

According to the property manager, Hill spoke with the concierge after the accident and “did not need medical or police attention. By his own admission, Hill says that he thought he was going to be fine, and he did not request an ambulance.

The next morning, however, Hill could barely get out of bed, and he discovered that he had lost most of the feeling in his legs. Doctors diagnosed Hill with paresis, which prevents the brain from communicating with the legs.

After spending several weeks recovering at Beth Israel Hospital, Hill has become more mobile, but he still needs braces to get around town, and he may never regain his ability to walk without some sort of aid. In addition, he is so afraid of taking an elevator that he relies on burly friends to haul him up the stairs to his apartment on the 26th floor.

Due to his injuries, and the physical nature of his work, Hill has been unemployed since the accident and his landlord has started eviction proceedings because Hill is unable to pay his rent.

Because of his injuries and mental anguish, Hill is seeking a personal injury settlement from the manager of his apartment and two elevator companies, Century Vertical Systems and Transel Elevator.

Sources indicate that Transel Elevator also worked on an elevator just before a fatal accident involving an ad executive in New York last month, which suggests that the company probably has a large legal team prepared to fight the charges.

The case, however, will not be an automatic win for Hill, as the property manager appears ready to fight, as well. According to the manager, Hill’s lawsuit has no merit and the apartment building has video evidence that refutes Hill’s claim.

In addition, Transel Elevators claims that it has not done work on the elevators in the building since April 2010, although this claim does not necessarily excuse them from liability for the malfunctioning elevator.