A 26-year-old trapeze artist crashed to the ground while attempting a new dangerous act.
The terrifying moment was captured on video by stunned audience members in Russia.
Tatyana Zolotukhina was performing the dangerous new trick with her husband, Sergey Zolotukhin, 34, when she failed to grasp his hand.
She plunged 16 feet, falling to the ground where her husband and fellow circus staff rushed to her side.
The crowd screamed, and then fell silent as they anxiously awaited to learn of her injuries.
Zolotukhina was conscious after her fall and rushed to the hospital where she underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
Trapeze artists Tatyana Zolotukhina and Sergey Zolotukhin. Tatyana Zolotukhina
Audience members applauded as she was carried away. The circus couple were performing an act called “Flame” — in the “Belts” style — with no safety netting.
It was later reported that the circus performer suffered a broken wrist and fears a possible fractured spine as well.
The wounded trapeze artist is a member of the traveling Filatov circus, run by a dynasty going back 180 years and reputed to be the oldest in Russia.
“The health of the performer is now not in danger and she will soon return to the arena,” the Filatov circus announced.
Zolotukhina had posted about the new high-risk act eight weeks ago saying it was in preparation for two years as she suffered “scars, bruises, fear and much more behind the scenes” during its preparation.
“I worked, I tried. I was on my way to my goal, and now I’m flying. I made it,” she wrote, according to East2West.
The general director of the Great Moscow State Circus Edgard Zapashny confirmed that the circus director was at the hospital with Zolotukhina, who was moving around independently.
