birth_place headercolor birth_date article_title name
buffalo , new york , u.s. lightsteelblue 18 september 1964 darren chiacchia
 darren chiacchia
darren chiacchia

darren chiacchia -lrb- born september 18 , 1964 in buffalo , new york -rrb- is an american equestrian .
he won a bronze medal in team eventing at the 2004 summer olympics in athens , together with kimberly severson , john williams , amy tryon and julie richards .
he also competed in individual eventing , placing 12th .
chiacchia gained national attention in 2008 when he was thrown from a horse resulting in him being in a coma , the incident sparked debate about the safety of being an equestrian .
he made headlines again in 2010 when a former sex partner who he dated from february to june in 2009 , filed charges and chiacchia was arrested on felony charges for allegedly exposing the man to the hiv virus , the charges were dismissed as intercourse was defined as only being able to occur between a man and a woman .
the case renewed discussion about laws that may discourage people for getting tested for the virus , which can lie dormant for many years .
the felony charge against chiacchia was reinstated in 2013 after the florida 5th district court of appeal reversed the lower court 's decision .
chiacchia owns and operates independence farm , a full service breeding , training , and sales barn located in upstate new york .
he volunteers his expertise as the chair of the usea 's events rating task force .
