PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) – The last time Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus performed in Rhode Island, eight acrobats suspended by their hair plummeted to the ground before a crowd of thousands. A single metal clip that held them 20 feet aloft had snapped. The women were badly hurt, some with spinal injuries so severe they could no longer walk.
This week, the circus is back in town, as Ringling Bros. begins a four-day run Thursday at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center, where the accident happened May 4, 2014. The circus has made some changes since then, and officials are preparing themselves in case something else goes wrong this time around.
“There’s always been death-defying acts. It’s part of the show,” said Lawrence Lepore, general manager of the Dunkin’ Donuts Center. “I guess all of a sudden you realize that yeah, someone can die doing this.”
One year on, the conditions of most of the women are unclear. One, Widny Neves, said she is better but still has a long road to recovery after suffering back and neck fractures and a broken arm. Lawyers representing the other acrobats did not return numerous requests for comment.
Andrey Medeiros, who conceived and developed the act for the circus with his wife, Viktoriya, told The Providence Journal that two of the women are still unable to walk.