Wednesday, January 25, 2023 – A “WaterWorld” performer at Universal Studios Hollywood has been hospitalized after taking a 30-foot drop into a tank.
The incident happened during a Monday show at the theme park. After other performers noticed that their colleague was missing, they joined together to pull him out as the crowd ushered out, and the performance was canceled.
The performer was given CPR on the spot for more than 5 minutes. His colleagues were able to get his heart beating again, and the performer was then rushed to a hospital. It’s unclear what his condition is currently.
According to KTLA, the Los Angeles County Fire Department responded to a call from the California-based theme park just before 2:10 p.m. on Monday, January 23, about an “unresponsive patient” who was given CPR and was breathing before being taken to the hospital.
Confirming the incident, a Universal Studios Hollywood spokesperson said;
“We can confirm a performer with one of our long-standing show vendors was transported to the hospital following a stunt during an afternoon performance and our thoughts are with him as he receives care. Details surrounding the event are being reviewed.”
According to the show’s website, “WaterWorld—A Live Sea War Spectacular represents the most complex combination of high-tech special effects, pyrotechnics, flame and human stunt work ever attempted anywhere in the world. The attraction puts studio guests in the middle of the exciting action that involves hundreds of stunts and fiery special effects.”
The show description adds the some of the performance highlights “include giant fireballs rising 50 feet in the air and cascading to earth in a spectacular wall of fire and a seaplane that swoops in directly above the audience, skidding across the water and coming to an explosive crash landing just inches away from startled spectators.”