Photo: Richard Ross / The Image Bank / Getty Images
A circus performance at the Orange County Fair in Wallkill, New York, took a frightening turn Friday night when Edwin Cuervo Rangel, 38, was accidentally shot in the neck with an arrow by his wife and fellow performer, Ana Daza Tavera, 42. The incident occurred around 9:30 p.m. as the married duo from Waukesha, Wisconsin, performed a crossbow sharpshooting act in front of a live audience, according to the New York State Police.
Daza Tavera fired a crossbow at a foam target that Cuervo Rangel was holding, but the arrow missed the target and struck him in the side of his neck. Emergency responders quickly arrived on the scene, and Cuervo Rangel was airlifted to Westchester Medical Center, where he was listed in stable condition. No other injuries were reported, and the circus show was canceled for that night.
Ringmaster Benjamin Jackson of Circus Murcia explained that Cuervo Rangel was fortunate. "There was no blood leaking out. There was a little around the hole where the arrow went in, kind of like getting your ear pierced," Jackson told WNBC. Cuervo Rangel was released from the hospital the next day after receiving stitches and is expected to make a full recovery. He will need time to heal before returning to the circus ring, but Jackson noted that he was “walking around, talking, eating, enjoying life.”
Circus Murcia, the company behind the act, emphasized in a statement that safety is their top priority and that this was an isolated incident. "There was and is no danger to the general public and audiences," the company stated, requesting privacy for the performers and their family.
The Orange County Fair resumed its regular schedule the next day, but the crossbow act was removed from the show lineup while the New York State Police investigation continues.