Expert Calls For Operators To Make Safety A Priority

A fairground operator in the Midlands has been fined after an 11-year-old girl suffered a serious head injury, as well as cuts and bruises, after being thrown from a ride.

Robert Wilkinson, of Lime Lane, Pelsall, Walsall has been ordered to pay £10,000, as well as costs of £2,708, over the incident in April 2009.

The youngster was on the DJ Jump ride at the Pype Hayes Park fair in Birmingham when a lap bar in one of the cars failed and, as she was unable to use a lap belt as a secondary safety measure, she was thrown from the attraction.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive revealed that the lap belts on the cars were not maintained properly, while the majority were also unusable due to damage.

Irwin Mitchell helps a number of people who have been injured in public places as a result of the negligence of others and has acted in cases when children have been hurt on fair rides.

Katrina Elsey, a public liability claims expert at Irwin Mitchell, said the case sends out a stark safety warning to fairground operators.

She explained: “Businesses and ride owners have a duty to ensure that their attractions are fully functional and safe for members of the public to use.

“Sadly incidents like this show the consequences of what can happen when they fail to meet this.

“Lessons need to be learnt from this which will ensure similar mistakes are not made in the future. I hope that operators are vigilant and carry out regular checks to guarantee all equipment is in a fit state to be used."