A circus performer is said to be making a good recovery following a fall from a rotating apparatus at the Hippodrome Circus in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk. The unnamed acrobat fell from the “Giant Wheel of Death” on Wednesday night and suffered a broken shoulder, arm and leg. Colleague and circus manager Jack Jay said that human error may have been the cause and that health and safety officials were investigating the incident. The performer was from Colombia and is believed to have been blindfolded at the time of the fall.
Witnesses initially believed the fall to be part of the act, but soon realised that something was wrong. A screen was brought on to shield the stricken performer while he was attended to. He was taken to James Paget Hospital, and later transferred to Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge, where he is understood to be stable. His brother, who partners him in the act, accompanied him to hospital, along with circus staff. Mr Jay is confident that the performer will recover fully and return to the circus.
The show in Great Yarmouth went ahead as planned on Thursday night, but without the “Giant Wheel of Death”. Great Yarmouth Borough Council, the local environmental health authority, has been contacted about the incident, but made no immediate comment. The Hippodrome Circus, which opened in 1903, has previously courted controversy by using a live elephant in its acts. It is believed that the wheel of death may have been introduced into the circus in the 1970s.
Circus performers continue to face danger in the course of their work. In 2018, a performer in Cirque du Soleil’s “Volta” show died after falling during the final battle scene. In 2017, an aerialist in a Moscow circus was killed after falling almost ten metres during a performance. Despite the risks, circuses continue to hold a fascination for audiences around the world
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