May

Wallenda faces safety concerns

Nik Wallenda doesn’t want to wear a harness when he walks on a wire above Niagara Falls. But his sponsors want to make him.

He’d prefer to start the walk in the U.S. and end in Canada, though television officials would have it the other way around.

And he wants the event to be completely free to spectators — something state officials haven’t agreed to.

There’s a lot of pressure and a seemingly endless stream of requests on the 33-year-old daredevil, something that has his handlers shaking their heads — and pushing forward.

“Things come up moment by moment,” said his father, Terry Troffer. “It’s been a long, arduous process, and there have been a few hiccups along the way. [But] Nik will handle all of that.”

The latest — and most worrisome — issue for Wallenda centers around the sponsors who want to see Wallenda wear a safety device to avoid a death fall — and potential damage to their brand.