‘Wheel of Death’ circus acrobat seriously injured after fall, Dutch troupe says

An acrobat was seriously injured after falling from the “Wheel of Death,” a rotating apparatus, at a circus performance in the Netherlands.

The performer plunged nearly 50 feet while executing a stunt during a show just outside of Amsterdam on Jan. 4, according to NL Times, a Dutch news site.

The acrobat, who has not been publicly named, fractured several ribs and is “luckily conscious,” Kerstcircus Haarlem, the circus troupe, stated in a news release.

An investigation into the incident is currently ongoing, the troupe said, though all planned performances are scheduled to continue.

A representative for Kerstcircus Haarlem did not immediately respond to a request for comment from McClatchy News.

Multiple injuries have been reported during circus performances in recent years, including one during a “human cannonball” stunt and another during a 36-foot fall.

One Cirque du Soleil production, Kà, had an “injury rate of 56.2 per 100 workers,” according to the Wall Street Journal, citing government data from 2012.

There have also been several deaths during circus performances in the past decade, including fatal falls in 2013 and 2018.

However, most professional circus performers who become injured do not require intensive treatment, according to a study published in the American Journal of Sports Medicine, which found injury rates were comparable to those of NCAA men’s basketball.