The Las Vegas Sun reports magician Steve Wyrick has filed suit against Pyritz Pyrotechnics Group LLC. for ruining his big July 4th escape stunt.

Mr. Wyrick’s suit is brought in the Clark County District Court on behalf of the performer as well as his production company Wyrick Magical Productions Inc.

The law suit was filed on Friday.

Wyrick alleges his contract with Pyritz was breached and that breach was the direct cause of the botched effect, and more importantly, injury to one of Wyrick’s staff.

The contract required Pyritz to provide “equipment and labor, including licensed pyrotechnics operators, to provide a pyrotechnics display for his “Death Drop” trick at Planet Hollywood hotel-casino on the Fourth of July.”

The Sun reports this morning that the stunt was to promote a “new tattoo parlor” and its inglorious and dangerous ending happened before “hundreds of onlookers on the streets and sidewalks in front of Planet Hollywood on the Las Vegas Strip.”

Here is what Mr. Wyrick intended to happen according to The Sun:

Wyrick was to be shackled and locked in an equipment box. The box was supposed to be hoisted into the air, supported by a few thin ropes and dangled over a bed of flaming spikes 80 feet below. The ropes were supposed to be set on fire, with Wyrick making his escape before the last rope broke.

That was not what happened, though.

When crew members attempted to ignite the ropes a black net used to hide the box caught on fire as well.

One of Mr. Wyrick’s crew as treated for “minor injuries” by the paramedics on the scene.  Shortly after the trick was aborted — the fire department removed the box — Mr. Wyrick arrived in a helicopter, landing Las Vegas Strip.

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