“Human cannonball” daredevil dies in stunt gone wrong (VIDEO)

Hundreds young children were among a crowd who witnessed a "human cannonball" stunt man plunge to his death at a daredevil show in the English countryside.

The stunt man, 23, died after a safety net failed during the Scott May's Daredevil Stunt Show at the Kent County Showground in Detling, according to the British Press Association, citing police.

Witnesses estimated that the stunt man had been launched 30 to 40 feet into the air by the cannon. The safety net lay flat on the ground as he fell head-first to his death.

A Kent Police spokesman said: "A man taking part in a human cannonball event this afternoon has died after it is believed a safety net failed to engage. He was taken to Maidstone General Hospital but died shortly afterwards."

A statement on the Scott May Daredevil Stunt Show website read: "With our apologies, due to unforeseen circumstances all shows have been cancelled until further notice."

According to UKPA, Rob Hutchinson, 42, who watched the show with his wife and two young children, said: "The net was already up. He climbed out on top, climbed down into the tube, they gave this countdown then he came out of the tube — he was probably 30 or 40 feet in the air at least. He turned over and then, the last picture I've got of him, you can see the net is flat on the floor, not up in the air, and he is coming down head-first towards the ground. I saw him hit the floor and bounce."

The Scott May website describe how the safety net for the Human Cannonball is designed to collapse within seconds of the performer landing on it.

The website says: "The stunt performer climbs the ladder and slides down to the deep dark depths of the gigantic barrel. Many a seasoned stunt performer cannot cope with the claustrophobic conditions, and those who can are highly respected for their courage and daring."

David Smith Jr., who holds the Guinness Book of World Records entry for distance shot from a cannon (59.05 meters), told CNN that careful planning can make the shots less dangerous.

Smith, 33, whose father taught the stunt to his seven children, has been ejected from the barrel of a cannon about 5,000 times.

After 14 years of taking his act across around the world, he said: "I feel that my cannon shots are probably safer than me driving to the next show — because I control my environment and I control my equipment."

Still, he acknowledged, "We've had some broken bones and stuff."

Scott May's Daredevil Stuntshow has been touring in the UK since 1991 and features motorbike and monster trunk stunts.