5/6/2014 7:29:00 PM
NEWS BRIEFS
Investigators Blame Broken ‘Fastener’ For Circus Accident
A Boston Globe graphic of the carabiner
MEDIA SPOTLIGHT – Fire officials determined an accident that injured nine circus performers in Providence, RI, occurred when a “metal fastener” snapped, causing the steel apparatus to plummet at least 20 feet to the ground, the New York Times reports.
Eight of the nine performers were women who were hanging by their hair when the incident occurred. All of the women were hospitalized with various injuries, including broken bones and internal bleeding. None of the injuries was considered life-threatening.
Media reports vary on the distance of the fall, which occurred during a performance by Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. Some outlets claimed the performers fell “about 20 feet,” while others put the distance at close to 35 feet.
“An investigation into the accident by the Providence Fire Department found a four-inch carabiner was the only piece of equipment to fail in the accident,” the Boston Globe reports.
“The fastener, which helped support an umbrella-shaped frame that suspended the performers, was found in three pieces on the ground,” according to the Globe.
Ringling Bros. is also probing the accident, parent company spokesman Stephen Payne told the Globe.
“We do not know if that’s the sole cause of the accident,” Payne said.
He said the steel carabiner that failed was put into use in December and could hold just over 10,000 pounds – more than the total 1,400 pound weight of the apparatus and women suspended from it.
The circus plans to immediately replace all of its carabiners with ones made by a different manufacturer.
Editor’s Note: Articles in Media Spotlight are excerpts from publications or broadcasts, which show the industry what the public is reading or hearing about fasteners and fastener companies.
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