'Human cannonball' killed in Kent stunt show
A "human cannonball" stuntman plunged to his death in an accident seen by hundreds of people at a daredevil show.
Police said a safety net gave way during the stunt at the Kent County Showground at Detling.
The man, 23, had been taken to Maidstone Hospital by air ambulance with multiple head and back injuries.
The accident happened at about 1530 BST in a performance by Scott May's Daredevil Stunt Show. Witnesses said he was launched up to 40ft in the air.
Rob Hutchinson, 42, watched with his wife and two young children as the man came out to perform his stunt to close the first half of the show.
'Head-first'Mr Hutchinson, a driving instructor from Tenterden, Kent, said: "The net was already up. He climbed out on top, climbed down into the tube, they gave this countdown then he came out of the tube - he was probably 30 or 40ft in the air at least.
"He turned over and then, the last picture I've got of him, you can see the net is flat on the floor, not up in the air, and he is coming down head-first towards the ground. I saw him hit the floor and bounce."
Mr Hutchinson added: "It was like a dummy being thrown..."
He said the crowd had numbered about 2,000 people, including several hundred children.
Another witness, Paul Armstrong, said he thought the stuntman had been "elevated to about 30ft in the air".
Not identifiedHe said: "When he was approaching the safety net it seemed to collapse to the ground before he hit it."
Insp Tony Ball, of Kent Police, said the force was investigating, the Health and Safety executive had been informed and Maidstone Borough Council would also be involved.
A police spokesman said the dead man's next-of-kin had been informed but he had not been formally identified.
Scott May's show has been touring in the UK since 1991 in a season which runs from March to September.
As well as the human cannonball stunt, the show also includes pyrotechnics, motorcycle jumps and monster trucks.
No comments:
Post a Comment