 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.Soucek, severely injured, was still alive when he was cut from the barrel but died while the Astrodome stunt show was still going on.Stuntman Evel Knievel had tried to persuade Soucek not to go through with the stunt, calling it "the most dangerous I've ever seen".