Circus performer hospitalized after accident at Ringling Bros. show in Hartford

HARTFORD — A circus performer was hospitalized after falling while performing a stunt during a Ringling Bros. show Sunday afternoon in Hartford. The accident occurred during a four-person stunt early in the noon show, when a trick involving an acrobat launching off a teeterboard (an oversized seesaw) onto the top of three people standing on each other's shoulders went awry, according to attendees and a circus spokesperson. The touring circus wrapped up four days of performances of its "Greatest Show on Earth" at Hartford's PeoplesBank Arena on Sunday. Mike Appleby of Simsbury, who attended the show with his wife and three kids, said three men had stood on each other's shoulders, waiting to catch a woman launched off the teeterboard. But the woman overshot, Appleby said, and her momentum carried her into the stack, knocking the group to the ground. It was the man at the top of the stack who seemed to suffer the most from the fall, Appleby said. "He was up on his elbows and knees with his head down, like he was trying to get up. But he wasn't able to get up," Appleby recounted. "It didn't look good." Within 10 seconds, Appleby said, the arena cut the lights and played an automated message announcing a pause in the show, while the man was carried off on a stretcher. After approximately a five-minute delay, the show returned, and the accident was not addressed further, though accounts did spread on social media. "All performers received immediate medical attention on site, and one performer was transported to a local hospital for further evaluation," circus spokesperson Nicole Zimmerman said. "We’re pleased to share that the performer has since been released and cleared to return to the show." Appleby praised the performers' quick reactions when the man went down, with those closest checking in and providing medical attention, while the rest of the troupe formed a loose ring around the arena. And while parents, including Appleby, were left explaining to their kids that a performer had been injured, he noted that the inherent risk in circus stunts was part of their appeal. "Part of the draw of these acts is that there's a subtext of risk and danger," he said. "Obviously, they do what they can safety-wise, but I haven't lost any faith or view of the circus. It's just unfortunate that things like that happen sometimes."