Nine badly hurt in U.S. circus 'hair hang' accident

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Nine badly hurt in U.S. circus 'hair hang' accident
Victoria Cavaliere, Reuters
First posted: Sunday, May 04, 2014 02:19 PM EDT | Updated: Monday, May 05, 2014 12:15 AM EDT
NEW YORK - A mid-air circus apparatus with acrobats suspended from it collapsed on Sunday during a performance in Rhode Island, injuring up to 20 people, nine seriously, and shocking a packed house of spectators.
The all-female team with the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus crashed up to 40 feet (12 metres) to the floor when the rig tethering them by the hair gave way at the Dunkin' Donuts Center in Providence.
The acrobats hit the ground just after starting their "hair hang" performance with the ringmaster telling the audience, "Suspended only by the strength of ...," according to a video posted online.
The performers did not scream as they fell, but there was a "collective gasp" from the 3,900 onlookers who were unsure at first whether the collapse was part of the act, said spectator Aletha Wood, who attended the show with her two children and took the video.
Providence Fire Chief Clarence Cunha said eight women and one man were seriously hurt, with injuries ranging from head wounds to broken bones.
A spokeswoman for Rhode Island Hospital gave different numbers, saying 11 people were treated in the emergency room and seven were admitted.
Wood said the collapse stunned the audience.
"It was a pretty packed house," she said. "There was a metal disc hanging from the ceiling and it looked like it was being held by a single cable."
Stephen Payne, a spokesman for Feld Entertainment, the parent company of Ringling Bros., said that because the performers were attached to the equipment and could not let go of it, a safety net was not required.
SEQUINED COSTUMES
Wood's video showed the equipment and the performers at the start of the show hidden by a cloth cover lit by blue and red lights.
The cloth fell away to reveal the acrobats dressed in sequined costumes and hanging from a circular canopy apparently suspended by a cable. One of the performers was hanging beneath the rest.
The structure then suddenly crashed to the floor. Workers and emergency personnel rushed to the acrobats, with a gurney arriving a couple of minutes later, after lights were dimmed.
A police spokeswoman said Ringling Bros. got the required city permits for the show, but the circus was responsible for its rigging and set-up.
The accident is being investigated by the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration, state fire marshals and the city.
"Safety is our top priority, not just for our performers but also for our crew and all the families who come to see a Ringling Bros. performance," Feld spokesman Payne said in an email.
Ringling's other two Sunday shows were canceled, along with Monday's 10:30 a.m. show.
As hundreds of spectators witnessed the accident, that opened up the possibility of claims being filed on behalf of children who could have been traumatized, said Lee Kaplan, a product liability lawyer in Houston.
Possible defendants ranged from the circus to the maker of the apparatus, Kaplan added. Performers often signed waivers that would limit their ability to sue the circus, he said.
Injured performers could file a workers' compensation claim against the circus, said Tom Lyons, a Providence lawyer. If a defective product was involved, they may have a claim against the manufacturer, he added.
Besides Ringling Bros., Feld Entertainment's productions include Disney On Ice, off-road motorcycle racing and monster truck shows.
In 2011, Feld Entertainment paid $270,000 to settle charges by the Department of Agriculture that Ringling animals were mistreated.
The American Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals agreed in 2012 to pay $9.3 million to Feld Entertainment to settle a lawsuit brought by the company in response to dismissed legal claims that Ringling mistreated elephants.
Ringling brothers circus accident!! - YouTube
Nine badly hurt in U.S. circus 'hair hang' accident | World | News | Toronto Sun

 

[Locutus]

that opened up the possibility of claims being filed on behalf of children who could have been traumatized, said Lee Kaplan, a product liability lawyer in Houston.

 

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Circus collapse probe focused on snapped clamp: Official
Ross Kerber, Reuters
First posted: Monday, May 05, 2014 12:47 PM EDT | Updated: Monday, May 05, 2014 01:23 PM EDT
PROVIDENCE, R.I. - Investigators probing the collapse of a rigging at a Providence, R.I., circus that badly injured nine performers and stunned the audience were focused on Monday on a clamp that snapped, a city official said.
Eight acrobats remained hospitalized, two in critical condition, following the Sunday incident, when the rig holding them hanging by their hair collapsed in front of an audience of about 3,900 people, including young children.
"We have identified the clamp that snapped that held them to the rafters and it failed," Providence Public Safety Commissioner Steven Pare told WPRO-AM radio in Providence on Monday.
Pare could not be reached immediately to elaborate. But officials from Feld Entertainment, which owns the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, said it was too soon to identify the cause of the collapse.
"The comments by the commissioner in Providence are premature at this point," circus spokesman Stephen Payne said. "We hope to release more information at the conclusion of the investigation into what caused the accident."
In addition to the two performers in critical condition, three were in serious condition and three others in good condition, according to a spokeswoman for Rhode Island Hospital, where the acrobats were brought after the collapse. Another performer was treated and released on Sunday.
"The injuries were severe on some of the performers, but none appear to be life threatening at this time," Payne said in an e-mail. He added that the circus' remaining performances in Providence, all scheduled for Monday, had been cancelled.
The all-female team fell about 40 feet (12 metres) to the floor while performing the so-called "chandelier" act, hurting one performer on the ground and stunning the audience, some of whom were initially unsure if the drop was part of the act.
Video of the act showed the women falling quietly, without screaming. The lights were dimmed right after the drop.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration was investigating the cause of the collapse on Monday, a spokesman said.
"As with any OSHA inspection, its purpose will be to determine whether or not there were any violations of workplace safety standards in connection with this incident," said the spokesman, Andre Bowser, adding that the agency could not estimate how long its investigation would take.
A woman who identified herself as an executive of Feld said on Twitter that she had visited some of the injured performers.
"Was able to visit some of our injured performers last night," Nicole Feld, an executive vice president of the company said. "In complete awe of their strength and spirit."
The company's other productions include Disney On Ice, off-road motorcycle racing and monster truck shows.
In 2011, Feld Entertainment paid $270,000 to settle charges by the Department of Agriculture that Ringling animals were mistreated.
The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals agreed in 2012 to pay $9.3 million to Feld Entertainment to settle a lawsuit brought by the company in response to dismissed legal claims that Ringling mistreated elephants.
Circus collapse probe focused on snapped clamp: Official | World | News | Toront

 

[Blackleaf]

Dopey birds deserve everything they got.

It doesn't take much for Yanks to sue. They sue for anything over there, even for things which are their fault.