A Russian acrobat is in critical condition after plummeting 16 feet to the ground during a trapeze act gone horribly wrong, as seen in a sickening video going viral online.
“An aerial gymnast fell during a performance at the circus,” said prosecutors investigating the incident, which occurred on August 31 at the Crocus Circus in Barnaul, Altai Krai region, CEN reports.
The traumatic clip shows the gymnast, identified as Maria Smetanova, 23, per the Mirror, hanging upside down on the trapeze as she scissors her legs in the air during the high-flying act, which was performed without a safety net.