Horrifying circus accident caught on camera
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A circus performance in Texas came to a quick end when an acrobat dangerously fell to the ground, according to a video of the incident.
The shocking video, apparently shot by an audience member at the “Circo Hermanos Vazquez” in Houston, shows two trapeze artists suspended up in the air from a rocket ship model. The red jumpsuit-clad pair – a woman and a man – is seen hanging next to each other before the woman grabs both of his hands and dangles in the air.
It was in the next move that it went wrong.
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With the audience’s attention on the stunt, the woman lets go as the man appears to grip something that is attached to her head. However, the mechanism appears to slip off her head and she tumbles to the ground, the New York Daily News reported.
Audience members can be heard screaming out in terror. Music stops immediately and the lights go on.
The rest of the 8-minute video shows performers and circus staff surrounding the woman, who appeared to be moving on her own despite the fall. The announcer tells the audience that she would be receiving medical attention.
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In a statement released May 26th, circus management said that, "The accident was the failure of the performers to properly latch a safety cord during the routine," according to KTRK-TV.
“It was a human error,” Lorena Vignaud, the circus' general manager told the TV station. “These things happen at the circus. It’s a live performance and that is what a lot of people don’t understand.”
She added that all circus acts are risky and this particular act “was one of the ones that was the highest risk of them all.”
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The female performer, whose name has not been revealed, was expected to make a full recovery from her injuries.
When asked about the 2007 incident in California in which a male performer plunged to his death, Vignaud said, "These incidents don't happen often. More than ten years have passed without any issues with our safety record. The safety of our audience and our performers is our highest priority."
Circo Hermanos Vazquez started in Mexico in 1969 and is currently touring in Houston and Salt Lake City, Utah. The show continued on its regular daily schedule over the weekend
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