The Science Channel has cancelled this year’s Punkin Chunkin special after one of its exploding air cannons injured two people, including one of the producers who had been hospitalized and declared in critical condition.
Although it as supposed to return after a two-year hiatus from television, the three-hour special is now off the air. It had been taken off the air after a previous accident and lawsuit was filed against it, which was dismissed in 2015.
The show was a Thanksgiving holiday contest wherein teams of engineers would send pumpkins flying thousands of feet into the air, USA Today reports.
One of the victims was hit by a piece of metal when an air cannon firing the pumpkins exploded at the television show’s site in Bridgeville, Delaware. The metal turned out to be a large trap door that blasted out when the “Pumpkin Reaper” cannon malfunctioned, Gizomodo reports. The victim, a 39-year-old woman, was trying to escape when the metal object hit. Despite her hard hat, she went down and paramedics rushed to her aid.
Listed as being in critical condition, the woman is now under recovery. A second victim was also treated at a nearby hospital for non-life threatening injuries as a result of the events.
The Science Channel, owned by Discovery Communications, is therefore not pushing through with the show, which was supposed to air on November 26. In a statement, Discovery said,
In light of the unfortunate incident at the Punkin Chunkin event on Nov. 6, Science Channel will not air Punkin Chunkin as originally planned. We are sending our hopes and prayers for a full recovery to the injured woman, her family and loved ones.
The Punkin Chunkin show has been on air since 1986, and was supposed to return last year. However, organizers said, they could not find a “willing insurer to adequately protect our host venue, our organization, our fans and our spectators.”
