A circus performer was hospitalized after sustaining serious injuries after falling from a tight rope during a performance. The incident took place at the Glyne Gap Field in Bexhill, East Sussex last week.
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According to TMZ, the circus performer was balancing on poles that were held by two men on a tight rope. As part of the act, she was standing up and sitting back down. However, as she tried to sit, she lost her footing and fell 16 feet to the ground. She lay motionless on the ground after impact.
The devastating moment was caught on video.
@cbsnews A circus performer was hospitalized after she fell from a tightrope before a horrified crowd during a performance in Bexhill, U.K. on Monday. The performer suffered "serious injuries" but her condition is not "life-threatening," according to emergency responders. #bexhill ♬ original sound – cbsnews
The circus performer is now being hospitalized with injuries to her face. Luckily, none are life-threatening. A South East Coast Ambulance Service (Seacamb) spokesperson confirmed to BBC the woman’s injuries “did not appear to be life-threatening.”
Gravity Circus, which was holding the event, issued a statement about the incident. “We can confirm that an accident occurred last night involving one of our tight rope performers during the show,” the circus stated. “In live entertainment and high-risk performances, accidents can unfortunately happen despite stringent safety measures.
The circus then stated, “Our emergency protocols were immediately enacted, and the performer was promptly taken to the hospital.”
Gravity Circus further shared its “primary concern” was the wellbeing of the performer. It was conducting a “thorough” investigation into what led to the terrifying incident.
The Garvity Circus spokesperson said forthcoming performances will go ahead as scheduled.
Witnesses Recall the Terrifying Moment When the Circus Performer Fell
Hayley Welsh, who attended the show, told BBC Radio Sussex the circle performer was on a chair on the tight rope when the performance took a terrifying turn.
“It looked like her leg gave way,” Welsh said. “She lost balance and went flying down wrapped around the wire. She smashed down onto the metal floor.”
Seacamb also issued a statement to PEOPLE sharing details about what happened. “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 circus performer’s identity has not been disclosed.