Man injured by aerialist's equipment at Artsplosure

The weekend arts festival in downtown Raleigh was winding down when the rigging from an aerialist act malfunctioned, and an unidentified man watching the performance at the intersection of Fayetteville and Hargett streets was struck.

Witnesses quickly sought help from Red Cross volunteer Kathy Ellen, who stayed with him until EMS could arrive.

Ellen was manning a booth a block away, and she said Monday that she arrived to find a man on the ground with his legs buckled under him. A 10-foot pole that hit the man in his side was on the ground nearby, she said.

"Your adrenaline starts flowing, and you're like, 'OK, what am I supposed to do next?'" she said. "My first reaction was to have (bystanders) call 911 to get EMS there because it was more than what we could handle ourselves."

The man was conscious and was able to speak to Ellen while they waited, she said.

Artsplosure organizers declined to comment Monday aside from issuing a statement the merely provided details about the incident.