An acrobat has been left fighting for her life after an horrendous 20ft fall from a rope in front of screaming children and their parents.
The 30-year-old acrobat star, Yelena Prikhodskaya, suffered an horrific cranial fracture when she fell during a performance at the Vladivostok circus in Russia.
Shocking footage taken from the crowd shows the moment Prikhodskaya began losing her grip and trying to reach for the rope again before hurtling towards the ground.
Check out the fall in the video below:
It was one of two life-threatening falls from circus workers within a matter of days of each other, both recorded in Russia over the festive period.
Eyewitnesses said ‘the fall was very tough’ and that ‘the audience gasped’.
The acrobat’s assistant, who’d been holding the rope, immediately rushed to the performer who was simply laying motionless on the ground.
Prikhodskaya had lost consciousness and was rushed to hospital, where she is said to be in intensive care, according to local reports.
The fall was seen by children and parents in the pre-New Year performance at the Vladivostok State Circus.
The circus said there was ‘no defect’ in the equipment and the awful accident was just down to ‘human error’.
It is said the blame game began being played as she was rushed to hospital to fight for her life.
A statement from the circus read:
The administration of Vladivostok State Circus is already working with police to find out the reasons for the accident and is closely monitoring Yelena’s condition
Another Russian performer was also hospitalised while dressed as Captain Jack Sparrow, having lost his balance in a performance in the city of Tolyatti.
Sergey Makarov, a ropewalker, had been performing without safety equipment when he lost his balance and fell to the ground but sent a message to fans from hospital saying he’s ‘still alive’.
At the time, eyewitnesses said the fall had seemed ‘very scary’ and that he too lay motionless on the ground as children and families watched on in horror.
Here’s hoping Yelena will be able to send a positive message to her fans following her recovery.
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Taking the idea of ‘being woke’ to a whole new level over a decade-long career in sport, court and online news, George has worked for titles and agencies including ESPN FC, Eurosport, LADbible and Court News UK. He may not have a degree but does have an unhealthy obsession with Lord of the Rings.