A 25 year old female is in a serious but stable condition in hospital after falling from a height of approximately 30 metres, out of her seat on the carnival ride "The Hang Over" at a Cairns fairground yesterday. Ambulance officers arriving at the scene faced "a difficult extraction" of her body as she had fallen into components of the ride's machinery.
Witness to the horrific accident, 16 year old Mr Darnell Addo is reported in the Cairns Post as saying: “She fell from the top of the ride as it was coming back down,” Mr Addo said. “Her back was over a metal beam. She hit the side of her body and then her head, it was a good 30m.” He said the 25-year-old woman’s family screamed and ran to the Hang Over. “They couldn’t stop the ride,” Mr Addo said. “He said ‘I’m trying to, it’s on a timer.’”
The Hang Over is a high-adrenaline ride with swinging pendulum arms that move at highspeed, with riders held in their seats by safety bars.
The Courier Mail reports Mr Addo's witnessing of events as follows:
“Once she hit the ground she hit her shoulder and her head hit back, and her skull opened,” he said.“Her whole head went purple.“Once she hit it, everyone thought it was a phone or a bag and I saw what it was and I ended up running back in shock.”
Mr Addo said the ride continued for about a minute before it stopped moving and the woman was attended to.“They wouldn’t stop the ride, they wouldn’t stop the ride until it was finished and everyone was screaming about it.“I don’t know if it’s because it’s got a timer or they can’t stop it, they just kept on going and going and then it was like slowly stopping and everyone was looking at it.”
Mr Addo reports that the ride was well known and had been around "since he was a kid."
The Courier Mail reports local Brett Wells was on the ride with his eight year old son when the accident happened.
'He recalled hearing a loud bang, looking down and seeing what he initially thought was a dummy lying at the base of the ride. Then realisation struck. “We were just waiting for it to end,” he said.
“I could see everyone pointing and screaming and thought, OK the ride’s going to stop. “But no, it just keeps on going.”'
A woman tried to rush to the victim's aid but was held back by staff as they waited for the ride to stop. Four off duty nurses were also on hand to assist. The victim was air lifted to hospital in an unconscious condition.
The fairground was not closed following the event, however, the site of the accident was being examined last night. A police and work health and safety investigation will be carried out.
Event organiser Lance Collyer is reported in the Courier Mail as saying: “As organisers we are saddened by what has happened at Showfest last night,” he said.“We are still working with Cairns police to find out exactly what has happened. “Our thoughts and prayers at this point are with the family concerned.”
Image: Rob and Stephanie Levy
Kym Anderson
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