An employee of the Cirque du Soleil show Luzia was killed Tuesday night, the victim of what authorities describe as an "industrial accident."
San Francisco Police Department spokesperson Officer Grace Gatpandan says that officers were called to the corner of Third Street and Terry A. Francois Boulevard, the scene of the scheduled Cirque du Soleil performance, at 6:45 p.m. Tuesday, on reports of an industrial accident. When they arrived, they found a male employee of the show suffering from "traumatic, life-threatening injuries," she says.
He was transported to San Francisco General Hospital, where he later died, Gatpandan says.
According to a statement released by Cirque du Soleil, the man, a technician on the show, was struck by a telescopic lift. His identity has yet to be publicly released, they said, pending notification of his family.
— Cirque du Soleil (@Cirque) November 30, 2016
Gatpandan says that SFPD's Traffic Collision Investigation Unit and Cal/OSHA will investigate the incident, the exact details of which have yet to be released.
Tuesday's performance was canceled, an event staffers described to ABC 7 as "rare."
The show, described as a "waking dream of Mexico," is scheduled to run in their tent in AT&T Park's Lot A from November 17 to January 29.
Update: In a press release sent by Cirque do Soleil Wednesday afternoon, the deceased man is identified as Quebec resident Olivier Rochette. Wednesday's performance of Luzia, they say, has been canceled. Here's the full release:
The entire Cirque du Soleil family is deeply saddened by the accidental death of LUZIA technician, Olivier Rochette, from Quebec, that happened on November 29th, in San Francisco. His immediate family, including his father Gilles Ste-Croix, one of the founders of Cirque du Soleil, has been informed of the accident. Our thoughts are with Gilles, his family and all Cirque du Soleil employees. We kindly ask the media to respect the wishes of the family to mourn in private. “I am heartbroken. I wish to extend in my name and in the name of all Cirque du Soleil employees my sincerest sympathies and offer my full support to Gilles and his family. Olivier has always been a member of our tight family and a beloved colleague,” said Cirque du Soleil CEO, Daniel Lamarre. We have been working with the appropriate authorities and have offered our full cooperation. Tonight’s, Wednesday, November 30, 8 p.m. performance of LUZIA has been cancelled. Cirque du Soleil will determine the status of tomorrow’s performances at a later time.
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