Karel Soucek (born c. 1947 in Czechoslovakia, died January 20, 1985 in Houston, Texas) was a Canadian professional stuntman. He lived in Hamilton, Ontario.
Soucek prepared for his 1984 Niagara Falls stunt by researching previous attempts, by sending unmanned barrels over the falls to test the currents, and by dropping his barrel off the Niagara Escarpment in Hamilton to test its shock absorbence. Soucek's custom-made barrel was nine feet long and five feet in diameter.[1] It was bright red and bore the words, "The Last of Niagara's Daredevils". On July 3, 1984, it was rolled into the Niagara River 1000 feet above the cataract of Niagara Falls with Soucek inside. In seconds, the barrel was swept over the brink. Shortly after, Soucek emerged safe but bleeding.
Soucek was fined $500 for performing the stunt without a license. He had also spent $15,000 on materials and labor and $30,000 to film the stunt, but quickly earned back all his costs from sales and interviews.[1] Having tasted success, Soucek decided to build a museum at Niagara Falls, Ontario in which to display his stunting paraphernalia. He convinced a corporation to finance a barrel drop of 180 feet from the top of the Houston Astrodome into a tank of water to pay for his project.
On January 19, 1985, as Soucek was enclosed in his barrel, 180 feet above the floor of the Astrodome, the barrel was released prematurely. Unexpectedly, it began spinning as it fell toward the floor. Instead of landing in the center of the tank of water, his barrel hit the rim. Foam pads which had been placed at the bottom of the tank to cushion Soucek's fall had floated to the surface before the barrel was released.[2] Soucek, severely injured, died the next day.
He is buried at the Drummond Hill Cemetery in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada.
Soucek was quoted as saying, "There is no heaven or hell; there is no God. It's all a myth. You're born, you live, one day you die and that's it."[3]