SHOWSTOPPER

Circus Performer Struck With Arrow in Freak Accident

A crossbow sharpshooting routine went wrong when a performer’s arrow struck her colleague.

A circus performer was airlifted to the hospital after a terrifying mishap sent an arrow into his neck during a live performance. The freak accident occurred around 9:30 p.m. Friday during a crossbow sharp-shooting act performed by Ana Daza Tavera, 42, and Edwin Cuervo Rangel, 38, at the Orange County Fair in Wallkill, New York, state police said in a statement. Daza Tavera fired an arrow at a foam target held by Cuervo Rangel, but the shot missed its mark and struck him instead. The audience was ushered out of the tent as paramedics rushed to the performer’s aid, News 12 reported. “Well, last night, unfortunately, when she shot the crossbow, it caught him in his neck,” Circus Murcia ringmaster Benjamin Jackson told News 12. “The good news is, she caught him right at the very corner of the neck. There was no blood, nothing.” Cuervo Rangel was flown to Westchester Medical Center and is now in stable condition, according to police. “Our performer is safe and in stable condition following surgery at the hospital and will make a full recovery,” Circus Murcia owner and operator Alexander Murcia said in a statement, according to the Hudson Valley Post.