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| Cirque du Soleil denies aerialist slipped out of harness before fatal fall | Cirque du Soleil denies aerialist slipped out of harness before fatal fall |
| (3 months later) | |
| The Cirque du Soleil aerialist who fell to her death mid-performance in Las Vegas did not slip out of her safety harness as initially reported, the company has claimed. | The Cirque du Soleil aerialist who fell to her death mid-performance in Las Vegas did not slip out of her safety harness as initially reported, the company has claimed. |
| Sarah Guillot-Guyard, 31, fell towards the end of Saturday night's performance of Ka at the MGM Grand and was later pronounced dead at a local hospital. Her death has been ruled an accident in a coroner's report, which states that the performer died "from multiple blunt force trauma suffered when she fell approximately 90 feet [27m]". Initial witness reports put the height at approximately half that. | Sarah Guillot-Guyard, 31, fell towards the end of Saturday night's performance of Ka at the MGM Grand and was later pronounced dead at a local hospital. Her death has been ruled an accident in a coroner's report, which states that the performer died "from multiple blunt force trauma suffered when she fell approximately 90 feet [27m]". Initial witness reports put the height at approximately half that. |
| While the exact circumstances behind the accident remain unclear, Cirque spokeswoman Renée-Claude Ménard told the LA Times: "Her harness was still on and she did not slip out of her harness." | While the exact circumstances behind the accident remain unclear, Cirque spokeswoman Renée-Claude Ménard told the LA Times: "Her harness was still on and she did not slip out of her harness." |
| The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has launched an investigation into Guillot-Guyard's death, and the international company has said it will co-operate in full. Any report could take up to six months to compile. | The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has launched an investigation into Guillot-Guyard's death, and the international company has said it will co-operate in full. Any report could take up to six months to compile. |
| John Fudenberg of the Clark County Coroner's office told Variety: "There is certainly safety apparatus that is used during any Cirque du Soleil show, and I know that company is very safety-conscious. We have to make sure we inspect the safety harnesses and we'll work with OSHA to do some of that. | John Fudenberg of the Clark County Coroner's office told Variety: "There is certainly safety apparatus that is used during any Cirque du Soleil show, and I know that company is very safety-conscious. We have to make sure we inspect the safety harnesses and we'll work with OSHA to do some of that. |
| "Our priority is to find out how this happened. We have to know exactly what failed, so we and OSHA can make recommendations on what should be done and how to prevent this from happening again." | "Our priority is to find out how this happened. We have to know exactly what failed, so we and OSHA can make recommendations on what should be done and how to prevent this from happening again." |
| Three years ago, aerialist performer Christopher Tierney suffered near-fatal injuries when he fell 30 feet while performing Spiderman: Turn Off the Dark on Broadway due to an unfixed safety line that should have tautened to hold his weight. Tierney broke four ribs and fractured three vertebrae, but returned to rehearsals five months later. | Three years ago, aerialist performer Christopher Tierney suffered near-fatal injuries when he fell 30 feet while performing Spiderman: Turn Off the Dark on Broadway due to an unfixed safety line that should have tautened to hold his weight. Tierney broke four ribs and fractured three vertebrae, but returned to rehearsals five months later. |
| Guillot-Guyard, who joined the Ka cast in 2006 with 15 years of aerial experience behind her, is believed to be the first performer to die during a Cirque du Soleil show. In 2009, an artist died after falling off a trampoline during training in Montreal. | Guillot-Guyard, who joined the Ka cast in 2006 with 15 years of aerial experience behind her, is believed to be the first performer to die during a Cirque du Soleil show. In 2009, an artist died after falling off a trampoline during training in Montreal. |
| Guy Laliberté, who co-founded Cirque du Soleil in 1984, said he was "heartbroken" by the accident. Performances of Ka have been cancelled until at least 9 July. | Guy Laliberté, who co-founded Cirque du Soleil in 1984, said he was "heartbroken" by the accident. Performances of Ka have been cancelled until at least 9 July. |
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