Cirque du Soleil Accident

​Rhea Sodem
Staff Writer
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       Cirque du Soleil is known worldwide as one of the best circus shows. They incorporate different stories and myths into their intricate and difficult acts. Cirque du Soleil rarely has any major injuries or accidents due to their many safety precautions, but sometimes things do not go the way acts are planned. In 2013, a former Olympian, who was due to perform on stage with the circus, broke her vertebrae and her arm from a ninety-four foot drop. It was told that a safety wire had become detached due to her rapid descent. That was three years ago, but recently another accident occurred from the backstage crew. A man named Olivier Rochette was killed when preparing for a show in San Francisco. He was hit by a telescopic lift and was immediately taken to the hospital. Unfortunately, he died at the hospital. He was no ordinary crew member; he was the son of one of the co-founders of Cirque du Soleil, Gilles Ste-Croix . Daniel Lamarre, who is the CEO of Cirque du Soleil, said, "I am heartbroken. I wish to extend in my name and in the name of all Cirque du Soleil employees my sincerest sympathies and offer my full support to Gilles and his family. Olivier has always been a member of our tight family and a truly beloved colleague.”
                Is there a pattern here? Cirque du Soleil is the ultimate place you want to work if you are in the acrobatics and entertainment industry. The world of trapeze, balancing, unicycles, and many more used to be a safe sport with all the safety precautions taken these days, but now with machinery malfunctions is this a safe career to for working? Is this going to affect future generations? This is a very important question to those who are looking for a potential career in this industry. The answer to that is yes. It can definitely affect people in the future because now safety depends on technology and machinery. People will have to trust technology that may or may not malfunction with their lives, so this accident can have people reconsidering this future career path.

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