Ron messaged me and asked if I could repost the entry on the rotisserie suspension with an added note of warning. I explained to him that reposting the exact same post wouldn’t fly. However, in that exact same day I was shown a video of a recent suspension performance where a guy suspending suicide fell. I couldn’t quite make out if the rope broke or a knot came untied but either way it was an easily avoidable mistake. Luckily, for all involved, the suspendee was hanging fairly low and in an upright position so there was minimal chance of injury.
Nonetheless, seeing that video more than justified me posting Ron’s updated note of caution (regarding the rotisserie suspension video):
When you see the clip, all you may see is the awesomeness of a rotating suspension.. what you DON’T see is all the time , research, planning and practice going into this.. When you watch the clip, you will also see my dear friend Richard Nunez during one of these show practices where he flew off the rig and had to be taken to the hospital for a concussion and sutures. As scary as it was to deal with , it was even scarier to be the one responsible for what happened and to have hurt a member of my family like that.
This episode is a VERY LARGE part of why I feel the way I do about suspension safety these days. Sure we weren’t doing normal suspensions.. but neither is a lot of the stuff going on these days either.. The time has come to step and bring safety into the 21st century as well!”
Kids, respect your elders.
