An acrobat suffered serious injuries after plunging nearly 20 feet during a circus performance in Brazil.
Disturbing footage of the accident showed performer Eric Ronald hanging upside-down from silk fabric as part of his routine Sunday night in Russas, a city in the northern state of Ceará.
Ronald was seen looking down at the spectators before the cable attached to the fabric suddenly snapped, sending him crashing to the ground.
The performer was rushed to an area hospital and underwent emergency surgery to stop internal bleeding, Porto Rico Circus said in a statement on Monday.
‘At this time, our artist Eric Ronald is hospitalized in the ICU, under observation,’ the circus company said in a statement.
‘We ask everyone to join us in prayers, hoping that he will respond well and make a speedy recovery.’
Porto Rico Circus said that the cable was new and had been recently installed, according to Brazilian news outlet G1.
Disturbing footage of the accident showed performer Eric Ronald hanging upside-down from silk fabric as part of his routine Sunday night in Russas, a city in the northern state of Ceará
The cable attached to the fabric suddenly snapped, sending the performer crashing to the ground
Eric Ronald is the second Porto Rico Circus performer to be injured at a show since March 2022
‘We reiterate our commitment to the safety of all our professionals and transparency to our audience,’ the circus said in a statement.
It’s the second time in two years that a performer was injured during the circus show.
Eduardo Gama suffered a 9-foot fallfrom a trapeze when he lost this balance and fell outside the safety net at a venue in the Ceará town of Caucaia.
The 20-year-old suffered a broken pelvis, which required surgery.
Investigators found that the circus did not have a license to operate at the time.
In November 2024, a 39-year-old acrobat was severely injured in a similar accident in China.
Zhang Kai was in the middle of a livestream of his performance when the two pieces of fabric snapped from a crane.
Kai crashed onto the cement ground and suffered facial and leg fractures.
His accident took place 19 months after his wife was killed after falling during an aerial silk show.
