Cirque du Soleil Fined $25K for Death of Las Vegas Acrobat

Reuters reports that Cirque du Soleil is being fined $25,235 for safety violations after one of its KA acrobats - Sarah Guillot-Guyard - fell 94 feet to her death in June.

Read the original story here.

The Nevada Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued six citations after a four-month investigation following Guillot-Guyard's fatal accident.

That night in June, Guillot-Guyard was quickly ascending the vertical stage in the final battle scene of KA when "the wire rope attaching her to a safety harness scraped against suspension equipment and was detached."

The Cirque du Soleil citations include inadequate equipment training and a fall protection program that did not meet state safety standards.

Nevada OSHA also fined the Las Vegas MGM Grand, where KA was performed, for $7,000 for subjecting its employees to workplace hazards as a result of the show.

Cirque du Soleil and MGM are appealing the citations; they have 15 days from the time they were notified.

A mother of two, Guillot-Guyard was 31. She was born in Paris and graduated from the Annie Fratellini Art & Circus Academy. Guillot-Guyard performed as an acrobat and aerialist for 22 years and was the head coach of CirqueFit, Cirque du Soleil's exercise program for kids.