Universal Studios ‘Waterworld’ cast member hospitalized

A stunt performer at Universal Studios Hollywood was hospitalized Monday after an incident during the theme park’s Waterworld show, authorities said.

Paramedics were called to the USH attraction at 2:09 p.m. Monday for cardiac arrest, said Henry Narvaez, a spokesman for the Los Angeles County Fire Department.

When paramedics arrived, others were already performing CPR on the actor. Paramedics then took him to a nearby hospital, Narvaez said.

“We can confirm that a performer at one of our longtime show providers was rushed to the hospital yesterday following a stunt during an afternoon performance and our thoughts are with him while he is treated,” a spokesman for Universal Studios Hollywood said Tuesday and declined to give details of how the incident unfolded or the man’s condition. “Details about the event are being checked.”

Daisy Anguiano, a theme park guest who was in the audience, told KABC7-TV that she saw the performers pull the unconscious performer out of the water.

She said the incident happened sometime after the man fell from a tower into water while on fire as part of the show’s finale.

“All staff and crew are doing this together to not let this person die,” said Anguiano, who also recorded the incident on her phone. “He was unconscious when he pulled him out of the water.”

She said the show was canceled and guests were escorted out.

The long-running stunt show Waterworld — based on the 1995 post-apocalyptic film of the same name — opened months after the film’s release and remains one of the park’s most popular attractions.

It features jet ski chases, fiery explosions, a crash-landed plane and a collapsing tower.

A 2014 Los Angeles Times investigation into amusement park injuries found that more than 90 visitors to Universal Studios Hollywood from 2007 to 2012 reported injuries. Injuries ranged from joint pain, broken teeth and lacerations to dizziness and seizures. Data on injured cast members or theme park employees was not included.

In 2011, a small fire broke out in the now-defunct earthquake simulation, possibly due to faulty electrical wiring. And last April, firefighters had to rescue 11 guests who were stranded on the park’s Transformers ride during a power outage.

Monday’s incident comes several weeks before the opening of USH’s Super Nintendo World, which promises to be the most interactive theme park ever created. The attraction’s debut hit a snag earlier this month when the online advance booking system crashed, temporarily leaving annual pass holders in the dark.