Today in the story of my nightmares, an incident at the Barnum and Bailey Circus performance in Rhode Island, sent 11 people to the hospital. The incident occurred right before intermission during a “hair hang” aerial act, in which the performers hung 30 feet in the air by their hair. A platform collapsed, eight performers fell, and one dancer was injured on the floor below.
According to NBC:
Stephen Payne, a spokesman for Feld Entertainment, the parent company of Ringling Bros., confirmed that nine performers were seriously injured, including eight who were in the air. The company confirmed that the 7 p.m. show had been cancelled.
Rhode Island Hospital told NBC News that they had 11 patients from the incident, with one being listed in critical condition.
Providence Public Safety Commissioner Steven Pare says officials and inspectors haven’t yet determined what caused the accident.
This is awful. What a terrible experience for the injured performers as well as the audience. If I find out that Tony Zucco was behind this, there will be hell to pay. But seriously, this is why I don’t watch Olympic diving live. A safe and speedy recovery to all the performers.
Image via Getty.
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