A circus performer at the Orange County Fair in Wallkill, New York, was airlifted to a hospital Friday night after his wife and fellow performer missed a foam target with a crossbow and struck him in the neck, though he is expected to make a full recovery.
Edwin Cuervo Rangel, 38, was holding a foam target during a live stunt with Circus Murcia when Ana Daza Tavera, 42, fired a crossbow arrow that missed its mark and caught him in the neck. The incident happened around 9:30 p.m. at the fair, which had opened just one day earlier. New York State Police confirmed Cuervo Rangel was airlifted to Westchester Medical Center in stable condition, and Fox News reported no other injuries occurred.
The two performers are married and hail from Wisconsin. They were part of Circus Murcia's traveling show, which was new to the Orange County Fair this year. The fair's website had promoted the Big Top Circus act as featuring "breathtaking acrobatics, daring aerial performances, and world-class circus artistry."
Benjamin Jackson, the ringmaster for Circus Murcia, spoke to News 12 about what happened. His account suggested the arrow struck at the edge of Cuervo Rangel's neck rather than dead center, a difference that may have spared the performer far worse.
Jackson told reporters:
"Well, last night, unfortunately, when she shot the crossbow, it caught him in his neck. The good news is, she caught him right at the very corner of the neck. There was no blood, nothing."
That a crossbow arrow to the neck produced no visible blood is itself striking. The neck is dense with arteries, veins, and nerves. A few inches in another direction, and the outcome could have been catastrophic in front of a live audience at a county fair.
Circus Murcia owner Alexander Murcia issued a statement through the Hudson Valley Post expressing gratitude to the emergency crews who responded.
"Our thoughts remain with him during his recovery, and we sincerely appreciate the outstanding care provided by the first responders, medical team, and everyone who assisted."
Murcia confirmed Cuervo Rangel is expected to make a full recovery.
New York State Police issued a press release confirming the basic facts: the time, the location, the performers' identities, and the mechanism of injury. The agency said the incident remains under investigation. No charges have been announced, and police have not publicly characterized the event as anything other than an accident during a performance stunt.
Several questions remain unanswered. Daza Tavera has not made any public statement. It is unclear what specific stunt the couple was performing, how far apart they stood, or whether any safety protocols governed the act. Fox News noted it had reached out to Circus Murcia for comment but did not indicate whether a response was received beyond Murcia's statement.
The Orange County Fair is scheduled to remain open daily through August 2. Whether Circus Murcia's crossbow act will continue during the rest of the fair's run has not been addressed publicly.
When a live act puts a crossbow in one performer's hands and a foam target against another performer's body, the margin for error is measured in inches. Cuervo Rangel learned that Friday night, and he's fortunate the margin held just enough.
