Bank Holiday horror: Families watch as human cannonball plunges to his death when safety net fails

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Horrified families looked on as a human cannonball was killed when his safety net failed during an Easter Bank Holiday extravaganza.

The stuntman suffered catastrophic head and neck injuries when he hit the ground in front of a huge crowd at the Kent County Showground.

Eyewitnesses said the stuntman was fired up to 50ft in the air as part of Scott May’s Daredevil Stunt Show.

Getting ready: The stuntman climbs the cannon's barrel for his act which forms part of the Scott May's Daredevil Stunt Show

Getting ready: The stuntman climbs up the cannon's barrel for his act which forms part of the Scott May's Daredevil Stunt Show

Thumbs up: As onlookers watch, the man signals that all is well as he prepares to be shot out of the cannon

Thumbs up: As onlookers watch, the man signals that all is well as he prepares to be shot out of the cannon

But the recoil from the massive  barrel, which is attached to a 7.5 ton lorry, appeared to make his safety net collapse.

Luke Adams, 38, who was watching the show with his children, said onlookers were stunned and confused by the accident as they did not know if it was part of the show.

He said: ‘It was absolutely horrendous. The net collapsed while he was in the air. As the cannon went bang the truck recoiled.

‘As it moved I could see the net drop to the ground.

‘He landed on the grass head first and continued to roll forward but then stayed on his back motionless.’

Another woman, who watched the show with her three-year-old son, described how the stuntman landed directly in front of her.

She said: ‘He was right in front of us and had blood coming from his mouth and was out cold.’ 

Lift-off: The stunt appears to go to plan as the man is fired into the air from the cannon

Lift-off: The stunt appears to go to plan as the man is fired into the air from the cannon

Flying: As the man shoots through the air he looks down towards the safety net

Flying: As the man shoots through the air he looks down towards the safety net

St John’s Ambulance medics rushed to the man’s side before an air ambulance and paramedics arrived at the showground in Detling, near Maidstone, at around 3.30pm.

The injured man, named only as Matt –who was aged 23 and said to be from the Isle of Man – was taken to Maidstone Hospital but died a short time later.

The family-owned Scott May’s Daredevil Stunt show, based in St Just, Cornwall, has been touring the UK since 1991.

It features motorcyclists jumping over giant ramps, stunts in which monster trucks crush cars and a two-wheeled  driving display.

The show’s website boasts there has never been an accident in more than 20 years and urges spectators to obey safety instructions.

The human cannonball is one of the show’s highlights.

A stuntman is fired from an oversized barrel by the explosive power of hydraulic machinery, with pyrotechnics added to increase the drama.

Disaster: As the man begins his descent, it's clear from the picture that the net has started to collapse
Tragedy: As he plunges head-first towards the ground, the net has all but completely collapsed

Disaster: As the man begins his descent, it's clear from the picture that the net has started to collapse

Tragic: The stuntman lands heavily away from the safety net, seen to his right

Tragic: The stuntman lands heavily away from the safety net, seen to his right

Motorbike stunt rider Scott May
A police car enters the Kent County Showground in Detling where the tragic accident happened

Motorbike stunt rider Scott May (left) whose Daredevil Stunt Show was on tour in Kent when the tragedy occurred. Right, a police car enters the County Showground in Detling where the accident happened

Once in the air, the performer aims to turn from his head-first position to land on the safety netting bottom first.

He must then scramble off the netting, which is about 10ft off the ground, before it collapses as the final part of the act.

The show’s website said those who undertake the stunt are ‘highly respected for their courage and daring’.

A spokesman for Scott May said all shows had been cancelled until further notice while an inquiry was carried out into what went wrong.

And a Kent Police spokesman said: ‘A man taking part in a human cannonball event this afternoon has died after it is believed a safety net failed to engage.’

Last night a Health and Safety Executive investigation was launched by Kent County Council.

The first human cannonball act took place in England in the 1870s.

Since then more than 30 stuntmen have been killed while performing, mostly by missing the net.

In one accident, in the 1920s, two performers crashed in mid-air with one breaking his back.

A human cannonball is seen moments before he died after a safety net failed during the stunt at the Kent County Showground in Detling
A human cannonball is seen moments before he died after a safety net failed during the stunt at the Kent County Showground in Detling

These images show the stuntman first entering the cannon (left) then being blasted 50ft into the air