A circus performer has been hospitalized with serious injuries after falling from a tightrope.
The woman sustained “serious injuries” while performing an act during a circus show held at Glyne Gap Field in East Sussex, England, on Monday, Aug. 19, the South East Coast Ambulance Service (Seacamb) confirmed.
In footage posted of the incident, per CBS News, the performer stood on a chair between two other artists on a tightrope roughly 16 feet in the air. She then slowly sat on the back of the chair and lowered her legs to the sides. As she leaned forward, she appeared to lose her footing and fell to the floor.
Seacamb said in a statement that they “were called at 4.45 p.m. on Monday that a person had fallen from height.”
“The patient, an adult female, had suffered facial and other injuries consistent with a fall. She was treated at the scene and taken by ambulance to the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton with serious injuries, although her condition was not thought to be life-threatening.”
The woman injured was part of a High Wire Troupe act from Columbia performing with Gravity Circus, according to BBC News
Hayley Welsh, who attended the circus show and witnessed the fall, told the outlet, “It looked like her leg gave way. She lost balance and went flying down wrapped around the wire. She smashed down onto the metal floor.”
Gravity Circus posted an update on the incident in the comment section of their Facebook page, and said the woman is “doing well” and “recovering in hospital.”
“We can confirm that an accident occurred last night involving one of our tightrope performers during the show,” the company added in a statement to BBC News.
“In live entertainment and high-risk performances, accidents can unfortunately happen despite stringent safety measures. Our emergency protocols were immediately enacted, and the performer was promptly taken to the hospital.”
The company added that its “primary concern is the wellbeing of the performer” and a “thorough investigation” is being held, per BBC News.
