Legoland forced to close attraction after acrobat 'pirate' plunges to the ground in front of horrified families

A children’s theme park was forced to shut down one of its popular attractions after an acrobat plunged at least 20ft in front of horrified families.

Visitors at Legoland in Windsor watched on in shock as one of the stunt men taking part in the park’s well-known pirate attraction lost grip of the swing and crashed to the ground.

A video of the accident showed the performer being flung into the air as part of the stunt, but as he descends he fails to grab onto the poll and instead lands on the floor.

He is seen lying in a heap as staff run to help him - covering him with flags to shield him from the watching crowd.

Eyewitnesses reported seeing an air ambulance land at the theme park to rush the man to hospital on Wednesday.

A statement from the park said: “An incident involving one of the performers in our Pirate Stunt Show occurred at the Legoland Windsor Resort yesterday.

“Our first responders attended immediately and the performer was taken to hospital.

“We are in touch with his family and are monitoring his progress. The show remains closed until further notice whilst an investigation takes place.”

The Pirates of Skeleton Bay performance involves an acrobatic routine during which people dressed as pirates enact a mock fight.

But in this instance it is believed the man was struck by one of the pieces of equipment as he tried to land the stunt.