An acrobat fell 25 feet to the ground in a horrifying accident caught on video, but the aftermath might be even more incredible than the incident itself.
Vicky Garcia, part of a pair known as Duo Garcia, was hanging by her hair from a replica rocket ship when suddenly she broke free and plummeted to the seats below her. Audience members screamed and circus staff rushed to Vicky, who at first appeared to be seriously injured.
But the acrobat who fell 25 feet was somehow able to avoid any major injuries, and she may soon be back to the high-flying act. Garcia has already been cleared to return to work .
Circus officials said the fall, which was captured on cell phone video , was the result of human error in preparing the act. They noted that Duo Garcia failed to latch a safety cord during the routine.
“It was a human error. These things happen at the circus. We all put all of our work in here. It’s a performance. It’s a live performance and that is what a lot of people don’t understand,” said Lorena Vignaud, the general manager of Circo Hermanos Vazquez.
Vignaud added that several of the acts have a lot of risk involved, including the stunt that sent Vicky Garcia falling 25 feet.
“Like balancing acts, like the strong men acts, all those kinds of acts, they all have a risk. This act was one of the ones that was the highest risk of them all.”
Though the acrobat who fell 25 feet was lucky enough to escape injury, others haven’t been so lucky. ABC 13 reported that in 2007, a male acrobat working with Circo Hermanos Vazquez fell to his death in another accident.
Vignaud said such accidents are rare.
“More than ten years have passed without any issues with our safety record,” she said. “The safety of our audience and our performers is our highest priority.”
There was another acrobat accident last year, as well, at a Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus show in Rhode Island. Eight female acrobats were suspended by their hair when a safety clip snapped, sending them falling 20 feet to the ground below.
Four of the acrobats said the were planning on suing the circus .
It is not clear when the acrobat who fell 25 feet will return to work. Circo Hermanos Vazquez has shows in Houston for the next eight weeks.
[Image via Stimme.de ]
