A circus stunt at the Orange County Fair in New York went frighteningly off-script Friday night when a performer missed her target and struck her husband in the neck with an arrow.
Edwin Cuervo Rangel, 38, was airlifted to Westchester Medical Center following the accident, which occurred at approximately 9:30 p.m. in the town of Wallkill.
Rangel and his wife, 42-year-old Ana Daza Tavera, were performing a crossbow stunt with the traveling Circus Murcia company when the shot went astray, according to New York State Police.
Authorities said Rangel was holding a foam target while Tavera attempted to shoot it. Instead, the arrow struck Rangel in the neck—an outcome generally discouraged even within a profession built around making audiences believe somebody is about to die.
Rangel was transported by helicopter to the hospital in stable condition. No spectators or other performers were injured.
Circus Murcia ringmaster Benjamin Jackson confirmed that the arrow caught Rangel near the edge of his neck.
“Unfortunately, when she shot the crossbow, it caught him in his neck,” Jackson told News 12.
Despite the disturbing location of the injury, Jackson said there was no visible bleeding and that the arrow apparently avoided major blood vessels and other vital structures.
“The good news is, she caught him right at the very corner of the neck,” Jackson said. “There was no blood, nothing.”
Circus Murcia owner Alexander Murcia said Rangel is expected to make a complete recovery.
“Our thoughts remain with him during his recovery, and we sincerely appreciate the outstanding care provided by the first responders, medical team and everyone who assisted,” Murcia told the Hudson Valley Post.
Police have not announced whether the accident resulted from equipment failure, positioning, timing or simple human error. The incident remains under investigation.
Rangel and Tavera are both from Wisconsin and travel with Circus Murcia, which is making its first appearance at the Orange County Fair this year.
The fair opened Thursday and is scheduled to continue daily through Aug. 2. Its website promotes the Big Top Circus as featuring “breathtaking acrobatics, daring aerial performances, and world-class circus artistry.”
Friday’s performance certainly delivered the “daring” portion of that description.
Rangel’s expected recovery is remarkable considering how easily the accident could have become fatal. It may also produce one of the more uncomfortable conversations in circus history once he returns home with the woman who fired the shot.
Most married couples occasionally miss the point.
Very few miss it with a crossbow.
