Garden Bros Circus Stuntman Falls in Midair

A circus performer is recovering after he plummeted to the ground mid-stunt on Monday.

The Garden Bros. Circus acrobat was performing at the Huntington Center in Toledo, Ohio Monday night doing a stunt which required him to balance atop two rotating wheels when the accident occurred in front of a crowd of onlookers.

As seen in video obtained by local CBS affiliate WTOL and recorded by circus-goer Amber Ledford, the acrobat, who has not been named, attempted a backflip, but lost his balance, forcing him to cling to the wheel before eventually letting go.

In the video, the crowd can be heard screaming in shock as paramedics rush to the scene to render aid. Huntington General Manager Steve Miller told WTOL that the performer was hospitalized following the incident and that he had suffered bruises, but no broken bones.

Speaking to TMZ, a representative for the circus explained that the acrobat got X-ray and was scheduled to get an MRI on Tuesday, though no serious injuries were expected.

As for the show, it went on as planned, and it was expected that the injured performer would be back with the group performing in the coming days.

Although rare, this is not the first time that an acrobatic stunt has gone wrong.

In March of 2018, Cirque du Soleil performer Yann Arnaud, an aerialist who had been with the company for more than 15 years, fell to his death during an aerial straps routine in Florida. He plunged 20 feet and died from his injuries at Tampa General Hospital just hours later.

“It is with immense sadness that Cirque du Soleil Entertainment Group reports that a tragic accident occured last night, March, 17, during a performance of its show VOLTA, in Tampa, Florida,” a statement released by the traveling act read. “While he was performing the aerial straps number, long-time aerialist Yann Arnaud, fell onto the stage. Emergency procedures were immediately activated and Yann was transported to the nearest hospital, where he later passed away from his injuries.”

In an interview with Florida’s WFLA, an audience member said Arnaud was “visibly straining to hold onto the rope.”

“I saw the two acrobats exchanging glances beforehand and I don’t know if one was trying to see if the other was OK,” Julian Martinez told the outlet. “It was awful, you heard all the cries of the audience. There were children there and they were freaking out.”