A circus performer could end up paraplegic after missing the safety net and hitting the ring.
Horrifying footage shows the ‘human cannonball’ – a phrase used for circus artists with this particular job – posing on the edge of the cylinder.
He climbs inside it as the ringmaster asks spectators to wish him “so long” and count down.
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The cannon then fires the man across the big top.
As the aerial stunt performer soars through the air, he slips through a gap in the safety net.
Audience members gasp in shock as he hits the ground with a loud thud.
Circus staff run over to help the man as he lies motionless in the ring.
The horror unfolded at the Los Vásquez circus show in Antofagasta, Chile, last Friday night (5 April).
The performer was rushed to a local hospital with multiple fractures, according to local media.
His condition is serious and he could end up paralysed, according to hospital sources.
Officials were sent to the circus to investigate and they confirmed several irregularities, as reported on Need To Know.
Antofagasta Regional Labour Director, Margarita López said: “He was working informally, without a work contract or social security coverage.
“We found the same situation with other circus workers.”
The circus was allowed to continue operating, but with a ban on aerial stunts until the investigation is concluded.
The hospitalised performer’s name is withheld.
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