Several circus performers were injured over the weekend in an accident in Providence, Rhode Island. The accident, which involved an equipment failure, has similarities to another circus accident which killed a Las Vegas performer in 2013.
Nine performers for the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus were injured when an apparatus used to secure the performers failed. Eight of the performers were hurt after the hair hanging apparatus, which suspends performers in the air by their hair, failed. The performers all fell to the ground, and a ninth performer was injured on the ground. According to Steven Pare, Providence Public Safety Commissioner, the performers fell between 25 and 35 feet. Injuries included broken bones, but all of the performers are expected to recover.
This incident is eerily similar to a Las Vegas accident in July 2013 which saw a Cirque Du Soleil performer fall to her death after a wire which was suspending her in the air snapped. In that case Cirque Du Soleil was eventually fined $25,000 by the Nevada Occupational Safety and Health Administration, for six safety violations, after a four month investigation.
http://youtu.be/r3UZyOIrNu4
If you, or anyone you know, has been the victim of an accident involving negligence, call the law offices of Jolley Urga Woodbury & Little now at (702) 699-7500 or contact us online today.
