This is the miracle moment a circus acrobat survives plunging several feet onto the floor after a ‘Wheels of Death’ stunt went badly wrong.
Footage obtained by CEN shows two male artists skilfully walking and balancing on a huge turning metal structure in the circus ring during a performance in the city of Nakhodka in Primorsky Krai, a territory in Russia’s Far East.
While one of them just keeps steadily walking on a running wheel, his colleague, a Brazilian acrobat only named Luan, does so on the outside of the huge installation.
Uptempo music is playing and Luan is waving coolly to the audience as he performs without any attached safety devices.
But spectators scream in horror as he misses a rung and crashes several feet on the uncushioned floor.
Shockingly, the massive two-wheel construction hits the injured artist seconds after his painful fall.
As the music stops, his colleague and several members of the circus staff rush to his help.
The distraught audience can be heard discussing what they had just witnessed as the footage ends.
Shocked attendee Oksana told local media: “They were doing this act. At some point, the acrobat either stumbled or something, I didn’t understand.
“He fell with his back on the concrete floor. Then this attraction structure hit him, and he was dragged a metre across the arena. People screamed. It was scary.”
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The acrobat, who has reportedly performed at festivals in Germany, France and Monte Carlo, was rushed to a clinic.
Astonishingly, Luan sustained just a few bruises in the incident.
He remains hospitalised for further checks and medics are reportedly considering informing the local labour safety authority.
The ‘Star Circus’ released a statement saying: “An artist from Brazil named Luan is alive and healthy. He did not break anything and is in good spirits.”
They continued: “There are a couple of bruises. He is a high-class acrobat of a dangerous genre. In this specific circus genre insurance is not provided.”
