Footage has been released of the horrifying moment a mum was flung from a moving fairground ride.
Khadra Ali suffered multiple serious injuries when she was thrown from the Xcelerator ride at Funderpark funfair in Hillingdon, west London, in April 2018.
Khadra, who was aged 45 at the time, went on the ride with her daughter but she hadn’t been properly restrained in her seat.
She screamed for help as the ride picked up speed and managed to cling on before she was flung from the ride, hitting the barrier of a neighbouring ride before landing on the ground.
She spent weeks in a coma and four months in hospital in total.
Six years on Khadra still needs support from her family after she suffered multiple fractures to her back, hips, pelvis, ribs, both collarbones as well as internal bleeding and a significant head injury.
Now three people and a company have been sentenced over their failings, after a Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigation found the ride’s seat restraint system had electrical and mechanical failings.
A statement released on behalf of Khadra’s family said: ‘The family of Khadra Ali is deeply relieved that the criminal prosecution has concluded following the tragic incident at the Funderpark fun fair.
‘They are grateful to everyone who has supported them throughout this challenging process.
‘While no outcome can undo the impact of the life-changing injuries on Khadra’s health and wellbeing, they hope this marks the beginning of their journey to rebuild their lives and provide her with the support she needs moving forward.
‘The family remain committed to providing Khadra with the best quality of life possible.’
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The ride’s manufacturer, Perrin Stevens Limited, had set up the restraint system in such a way that it wouldn’t have detected all failures.
Derek Hackett, the ride owner trading as Hackett Fairs, failed to properly maintain the ride, this was in part due to Perrin Stevens’ operator manual lacking in information on inspection and maintenance of the seat restraint system.
The investigation also found on the day of the incident Mr Hackett’s ride operator had no attendant assisting them despite the operations manual requiring a minimum of two people to operate and monitor the ride.
The operator did not check each rider’s restraint bar as they should have before starting the ride, and did not notice that Khadra required assistance and stopped the ride.
David Geary, director of ride inspection company DMG Technical Ltd, completed the ride’s annual inspection in 2017, a year before the incident, and didn’t find any failed switches or maintenance concerns. He also didn’t spot the electrical and mechanical design failures.
At a hearing at Westminster magistrates court last week:
- Perrin Stevens, of Oakley Green Road, Windsor, Berkshire, pleaded guilty as a director of Perrin Stevens Ltd (dissolved) that their offence under Section 6(1)(a) and Section 6(1a)(d) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 was attributable to his consent, connivance and/or neglect, whereby he was guilty of an offence contrary to Section 33(1)(a) by virtue of Section 37(1) of the Act. He was handed a custodial sentence of 32 weeks, suspended for 18 months, ordered to complete 150 hours of unpaid work and pay £11,444 in costs.
- Derek Hackett, of School Street, Radcliffe, Manchester, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 3(2) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. He was given a custodial sentence of 18 weeks, suspended for 18 months, and ordered to pay £4,800 in costs.
- DMG Technical Ltd, of Wenlock Road, Hackney, London, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 3(2) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. The company was fined £51,000 and ordered to pay £30,000 in costs.
- David Geary, of Wenlock Road, Hackney, London, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 3(2) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. He also pleaded guilty as director of DMG Technical Ltd that their offence as attributable to his consent, connivance and/or neglect, whereby he was guilty of an offence contrary to Section 33(1)(a) by virtue of Section 37(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. He was handed a custodial sentence of 44 weeks, suspended for 18 months, and ordered to pay £24,000 in costs.
HSE inspector Helen Donnelly said: ‘Mrs Ali was simply enjoying a day out with her children in what she expected to be a safe environment. As a result she continues to suffer pain and significant impact to her everyday life.
‘Good health and safety management often requires multiple precautions being put in place, and often by different parties.
‘This incident shows that there are serious consequences when we do not fulfil our health and safety duties and become reliant on the actions of others to ensure the safety of workers and the public.
‘Good health and safety is a collective effort and we must all take responsibility for the role we have in keeping people safe.
‘While this investigation has been long and complex, we hope Mrs Ali and her family will find some comfort with the sentence and see that justice has now been served.’
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