2 Year-old dies at Fairground

[Mysticakasha]

A toddler who died at a fairground in north London had crawled onto the tracks of a mini-rollercoaster and was struck by the ride, it has emerged.


The fairground at Ducketts Common is now closed to the public


The two-year-old was killed on Tuesday evening after the incident at Ducketts Common in Turnpike Lane.
The boy was with his parents at the time.
A Metropolitan Police spokeswoman said officers and ambulance services were called to the scene just before 8pm.
"A two-year-old boy was taken by ambulance to The Royal London Hospital," she said.
"He was pronounced dead on arrival."
No one has been arrested over the incident.


Police investiagte at the scene of the toddler tragedy

The Health and Safety Executive is investigating and a post-mortem is due to take place.
Police said the fairground, described as a "family fair" that was due to be open to the public between May 8 and 17, was closed after the incident.
On the funfair operator's website, the company claims its rides are among the safest in the country.
"...all our fairground equipment is fully and independently tested under the ADIPS system, approved and authorised by the Health and Safety Executive," it says.
"We will be delighted to provide copies of our Model Risk Assessment, Method Statements and Child Protection Policies.
"We are proud of our safety record and delighted that our policies have been used as models by other agencies."




How sad poor little boy and his parents must be devastated

[Mysticakasha]

Abit more to the story




A toddler who died at a fairground in north London had crawled onto the tracks of a mini-rollercoaster and was struck by the ride, it has emerged.


The fairground at Ducketts Common is now closed to the public


The two-year-old was killed on Tuesday evening after the incident on Ducketts Common in Turnpike Lane.
Keith Miller, general secretary of the Showmen's Guild, told Sky News Online: "I understand the young boy had just finished playing on an inflatable ride and then ran over onto the tracks of the Go-Gator, a juvenile ride.
"There would have been a barrier surrounding the rollercoaster but he must have found a way around it."
Mr Miller said the ride operator saw him and rushed to stop him, but it was too late.
"I can't imagine why there was no parent with him," he said.
"It's a terrible blow to this industry - there has not been a fatality in nine years.
"Safety is of paramount importance to us, and we've seen the number of accidents fall from 492 in 1997 to 96 in 2008.
"We trust the HSE will look at where the child's parents were in this incident and we will do our own investigation."


Police investiagte at the scene of the toddler tragedy

A Metropolitan Police spokeswoman said officers and ambulance services were called to the scene just before 8pm.
"A two-year-old boy was taken by ambulance to The Royal London Hospital," she said.
"He was pronounced dead on arrival."
No one has been arrested over the incident.
Reporting from Ducketts Common, Sky's Sara Merchant said: "Everyone here at the funfair is deeply shocked by what has happened.
"A team of Health and Safety Executive inspectors has arrived to carry out a full investigation and a post-mortem is due to take place."
Police said the fairground, described as a "family fair" that was due to be open to the public between May 8 and 17, was closed after the incident.
On the funfair operator's website, the company claims its rides are among the safest in the country.
"...all our fairground equipment is fully and independently tested under the ADIPS system, approved and authorised by the Health and Safety Executive," it says.
"We will be delighted to provide copies of our Model Risk Assessment, Method Statements and Child Protection Policies.
"We are proud of our safety record and delighted that our policies have been used as models by other agencies."

[Harry's Cat]

I drove past Duckets Common this morning on my way to a studio in Highgate.

When I heard the news on the radio in the car I am ashamed to say that my first thought was "that's gonna bugger up the traffic on my journey!!" (So sorry)

It was on my way…..I didn't drive past to look for the gore or anything. But there wasn't anything to see anyway (which was quite a relief) I'm a Death Hag not a ghoul

[octobersky]

Where were the parents?!!?!!?

[Keyser Soze]

wow..........are you serious?

[NOVSTORM]

The kid probably got loose from the parents and ran but I have never had a 2 yr old out run me. Someone was not minding the baby as they should..I feel bad for the parents but you cant take little kids like that to these things unless they are kept in the buggy or have a leash on them..

[MoonRabbit]

I have noticed this about children.
While one child may stick close to the parents at all times in caution. The next sibling can be naturally adventurous and do crazy things like
run off without the parents.

My first child always stuck close to us while the second child would wander.

Poor parents and what they are going through.

[Mintgiver]

I had one of those, too. That is why I always paid more attention to where he was, and he had a velcro wristband on a rope that connected with me.

I would like to hear what his parents were doing. The barrier must have slowed him down for a few minutes, at least.

[guardmom2008]

A 2 yr old should have been with a parent and a parent should have kept their eyes on this child. So sad that this happened. Hopefully it will make other parents more aware of where their children are and to watch them.

[Nerak]

What a shame, a two year old should not ever be out of sight if a parent/adult.
Freaking horrible way to learn to watch your children....

[guardmom2008]

What a shame, a two year old should not ever be out of sight if a parent/adult.
Freaking horrible way to learn to watch your children....

I agree and we call them DP's ( Delinquent Parents).

[AnneOminous]

Oh jeez. So heartbreaking, I can't even imagine. I cannot understand why he was unsupervised long enough to be able to climb onto the tracks. Of course I know how they can run away from you so quickly, but wouldn't it have taken a few minutes for him to accomplish this? Weren't the parents wondering, "Oh hey, where's my kid?"! This kind of situation is why they invented the child-harness/leashes. People make fun of them, but they serve a real purpose.

[Karma]

Nobody is going to like my answer but here goes.

This is one of the very reasons a child tether is important in these kinds of places. I used one for my daughter when we went places and now that my grandson walks, he wears one too, We get stares but hey we know where our kids are.

[Nerak]

Nobody is going to like my answer but here goes.

This is one of the very reasons a child tether is important in these kinds of places. I used one for my daughter when we went places and now that my grandson walks, he wears one too, We get stares but hey we know where our kids are.

Karma, I happen to like your answer

[jeca]

What a shame, a two year old should not ever be out of sight if a parent/adult.
Freaking horrible way to learn to watch your children....

Yep. I had one that would bolt, too, but I never took my eyes off her, and she couldn't outrun me. You can't take your eyes off them for a second.

[findadeathaddict]

Poor kid, its a shame he ended up on the tracks, without anyone noticing

[Dixie Girl]

Karma--I happen to like your answer, too! more importantly, in this day and age of child abductions, a harness/leash would be more apt to stop a stranger abduction as well. It's also a damned shame that we have to think of that as another good reason to wear one.

[Paige B]

Nobody is going to like my answer but here goes.

This is one of the very reasons a child tether is important in these kinds of places. I used one for my daughter when we went places and now that my grandson walks, he wears one too, We get stares but hey we know where our kids are.

Hey! I'm all for the tethers. Nowadays they are cute with teddy bears and such, that it doesn't look like a straight jacket or an industrial restraint. I would have loved one when my kids were young!

[Mysticakasha]

Tragic ... little Erjon Hyseni





Funfair dad saw ride kill his boy


By LUCY HAGAN
Published: Today


A HORRIFIED dad had to be restrained when he saw his toddler son crushed to death by a funfair mini rollercoaster.

Little Erjon Hyseni, two, had strayed on to the rails of the alligator-themed ride after he slipped away from a bouncy castle.

His frantic dad was hunting for him after he ran off — and glimpsed his son’s death. Last night a shattered witness told of hearing “a child screaming in agony.” The man — a local North London builder — said: “It was an appalling scene.


“The dad was being pulled off his son by paramedics so that they could work on the child and try to save him.
“Eventually the police had to restrain him. He just wanted to help his son but there was nothing he could do.”
The shocked woman operating the Go-gator ride spotted the toddler as the coaster full of shrieking kiddies bore down on him. She hit an emergency stop button but it was too late Dorothy Murphy, 88 — who lives opposite the common in Turnpike Lane where the travelling fair had set up — said: “I heard the poor mother of the child. She was crying and screaming.”
Playful Erjon — described as a talkative “happy little boy” — is thought to have slipped and fallen on to the tracks after ducking under safety barriers.
He was still in his socks after going on the bouncy castle next to the ride. His little shoes were still where he left them as paramedics battled in vain to save him on Tuesday night.
Mum Migena is believed to have rushed to the funfair from the family home in Bounds Green, where she had stayed behind with Erjon’s baby sister.
Yesterday the shattered family laid flowers at the coaster before visiting the hospital morgue where the toddler was taken. A woman friend said: “They are too devastated to speak. The dad saw what happened.
Grim probe ... investigators at fairground death scene yesterday


“Erjon was a lovely little boy. He talked far too much, chatting, all the time. He was a happy little boy. We all want to know who was supposed to be watching and checking the barriers.” The horror is the first fairground death for a decade.
Attractions at the site on Ducketts Common remained closed yesterday as police and safety officials investigated. The bouncy castle lay deflated next to the coaster.
Ray Smith from the Showman’s Guild — which represents travelling funfairs — insisted railings between the rides met safety regulations. He said: “We are deeply saddened. Every child that goes to a funfair should come home from the funfair.”


terribly sad

[AnneOminous]

We all want to know who was supposed to be watching

Oh boy, good question! Hmm, let's see...

[Missa310]

From looking at the above picture with the investigators, the deflated bouncy thing is REALLY close to the tracks. The tracks don't even have a gate around them. I can see how a child could get onto those tracks. Granted the Dad should've been watching him, but it looks like a freak accident/tragedy to me. I feel so sorry for this family.

[Ms. K]

Nobody is going to like my answer but here goes.

This is one of the very reasons a child tether is important in these kinds of places. I used one for my daughter when we went places and now that my grandson walks, he wears one too, We get stares but hey we know where our kids are.

Are you kidding me? I advocate the use of a child harness. You know where they are, and you don't have to try to hang on their hand with one of yours while you do your shopping or whatnot. The little buggers squirm, after all, and they can slip their hand right out of yours.

Better to have a kid on a leash than to have a dead kid.

[Finnegan]

my daughter's harness was a unicorn backpack with the leash attached.
we did get stares sometimes, but more often parents would say, "that thing is great! where did you get it?"
junior liked it because it was a unicorn, and I liked it because she was safe.

in this case, however, the child was in a bouncy castle. (I hate those things, incidentally)
you wouldn't be in there as well and you certainly wouldn't be holding a harness while they're in there jumping.
I can totally see how a child could slip out and quickly get into mischief. I can only imagine the horror of those moments where the dad was looking for him and couldn't see him in the castle.

I don't even want to imagine the horror of looking over and seeing your child hit by a roller coaster. that poor man, that poor family.

[tamiele]

I had a harness for both my kids. The people who were the most rude and critical of me were the ones who were either hadn't had kids ( you know the types that think they know more than people who actually have kids) and from people who were older and hadn't had small children around in years. I ignored them. My children were no the type to stay close to mom in public places. They were adventurous little creatures. We often visit my husband at his office in downtown Calgary and I was always concerned about one of them stepping off the curb at the wrong time. I felt their safety was much more important than the possibility that I was treating them like dogs, like someone once said to me.

[ShatteredMirror]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, blame the dad, the parents. The same dad who cradled his dying 2 year old son in his arms because he momentarily lost sight of him.
Accidents happen. People make mistakes.
Hindsight is a very easy thing.
I have nothing but compassion for their loss. Not an ounce of blame.

[sablegsd]

I wonder if there was a fence around the tracks, but it was moved for rescue vehicles. There are fences around everything in the background, it doesn't make sense there wouldn't be one around the roller coaster.

What a horrible tragedy.

[Mysticakasha]

I wonder if there was a fence around the tracks, but it was moved for rescue vehicles. There are fences around everything in the background, it doesn't make sense there wouldn't be one around the roller coaster.

What a horrible tragedy.

Possibly we were at a fair at Easter and there were barriers round the gator ride so can't understand why this wouldnt of although it does say in the report they think he ducked under the barriers


I just feel sad for the toddler his parents and the rest of their family and for the Fairground people too

[Tracyb24]

That bouncy thing looks way to close to those tracks. Whoever set that up should have know better than that in the first place.

[STORMIE]

Nobody is going to like my answer but here goes.

This is one of the very reasons a child tether is important in these kinds of places. I used one for my daughter when we went places and now that my grandson walks, he wears one too, We get stares but hey we know where our kids are.

You know, I wouldn't have agreed with your answer before I took my daughter (4 at the time) and my two nephews (3 and 5 at the time) to an amusement park with my sister in law. We stopped at a shop in the park after 15 minutes and bought the tethers. Best investment I ever made! Anyone who judges people who use these need the experience of keeping a small child with them in a crowded place.

[My_Smiling_Skull]

My mom had an Elmo tether for me when I was a little girl, used it for my three brothers and my sister too...

Putting that inflatable thing THAT close to a rollercoaster is REALLY bad planning on the part of the fair workers. And those gates are not narrow enough to keep a 2 year old child out. It would've been all too easy for a baby that small to escape from the bouncer and slip right through the gates in a matter of seconds.. the poor family

[Finnegan]

I wonder if it was one of those bouncy castles where the children can climb up inside and slide down outside the castle.
those are an especially bad idea all around.

(did I mention I hate those things? LOL)

[tamiele]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, blame the dad, the parents. The same dad who cradled his dying 2 year old son in his arms because he momentarily lost sight of him.
Accidents happen. People make mistakes.
Hindsight is a very easy thing.
I have nothing but compassion for their loss. Not an ounce of blame.

I agree. Nobody is able to watch their children every second. You can try to, but it is impossible.....especially if you have more than one there. I haven't seen the photos but usually those bouncy places have one way in so it is very unfortunate that this little guy slipped out. Holding the father responsible is hypocritical.

[AnneOminous]

Holding the father responsible is hypocritical.

I stand by my assessment that parents are responsible for their own children. I have no problem with someone disagreeing, but I have to ask why I'm being called hypocritical, specifically. I haven't contradicted myself, so it seems like a strange word choice.

[STsFirstmate]

Nobody is going to like my answer but here goes.

This is one of the very reasons a child tether is important in these kinds of places. I used one for my daughter when we went places and now that my grandson walks, he wears one too, We get stares but hey we know where our kids are.

I am with you. Our cousin has one for her two year old that is very active and lightening fast. Others in the family call her a lazy mother but we watch the child occassionally and I won't take her out of the house with out it.
Two seconds of inattention and you can have a tragedy! Let them stare!
Regards,
Mary

[DexterKitty]

I feel sorry for the parents...... I smell a lawsuit though. The part of the story where they said they were checking in to 'who was suppose to be watching the barriers' threw up a red flag. I think that should be...why weren't the parents watching the child? I fully realize that kids can get away in no time flat but, still it's ultimately the parents that need to be extra vigilant in these situations. It's always easy to blame someone alse.

[MmmRavioli]

I drove past Duckets Common this morning on my way to a studio in Highgate.

When I heard the news on the radio in the car I am ashamed to say that my first thought was "that's gonna bugger up the traffic on my journey!!" (So sorry)

It was on my way…..I didn't drive past to look for the gore or anything. But there wasn't anything to see anyway (which was quite a relief) I'm a Death Hag not a ghoul

Well first of all.. terrible story. What else is there to say, really?

As far as what you said though I agree, I believe there is a difference between the two.... death hag and "ghoul" (as you put it, lol).

I guess some people consider death hag a very broad term. To me, it's just morbid curiosity about death, in-depth details, and photographs. I also happen to be very fascinated with the lives in general of people who have died young. Not just the details of their death, but their whole life.
The spiritual faith I believe in states that we plan our lives from beginning to end, INCLUDING how we die. So I feel like if I know the backstory of a celebrity's life, I can theorize why they would choose to die that way.

Anyway, that's a little off the subject of the point I was trying to make...

There's this other thread of a picture of a beheaded woman, and one of the posters said, "I get all warm and tingly when I see thread titles like this." It made me kind of laugh, but it also made me go "EEK!" I guess there ARE death hags like that.... who are really into the gorey stuff. I don't mind it, under the right circumstances. I'll definitely be interested enough to look, if someone posts it, but I don't seek it out much. I'm generally not a fan of sites like rotten.com, that show pics of just random violence, but I DO like seeing autopsy photographs and mortuary before-and-after photos... if that makes sense.

The gore thing, that's a whole other level of Death Hag, IMO.

[MmmRavioli]

I had a harness for both my kids. The people who were the most rude and critical of me were the ones who were either hadn't had kids ( you know the types that think they know more than people who actually have kids) and from people who were older and hadn't had small children around in years. I ignored them. My children were no the type to stay close to mom in public places. They were adventurous little creatures. We often visit my husband at his office in downtown Calgary and I was always concerned about one of them stepping off the curb at the wrong time. I felt their safety was much more important than the possibility that I was treating them like dogs, like someone once said to me.

I totally agree with you. There's nothing wrong with it if you've got rambunctious kids. I don't have kids but I worked in daycare, in the toddler section, and they kicked my ass everyday. At night I'd be falling asleep in church (back when I went to my BF's Baptist church and before I changed my faith to New Age Gnostic). It was hard just to get them to line up so we could change their diapers. We'd take a line of 5 of them to the changing room, and while I was dealing with one, they'd be all over the floor... trying to leave the room, etc. Forget about going out in public.... I couldn't imagine. God bless parents of multiples. They really need to be on their toes

People are always critical of parents. I hate the ones who criticize breastfeeding mothers, too...

[deathybrad]

OMG

[Jazbabee]

I can't even begin to fathom what the father must be going thru.....beyond devastating !

[Miho]

Just a freak accident. Of course the family will probably try to sue, but the bottom line is the parents have to hold responsibility for their child. It isn't their fault, but that is what accidents are.. accidents. I don't think they were negligent, but these bouncy things have one way in our out. Someone should have noticed the little guy got out which means they weren't watching. You can't blame the fairgrounds. I thought the castle looked very close too, but then I thought that it was deflated now and they are HUGE when you do that. They probably had to remove the fence when they deflated it. Also it is totally unreasonable to expect the carnies to watch every barrier fence in the place. The woman did see him, just too late...

[FiestyGal]

What a shame, a two year old should not ever be out of sight if a parent/adult.
Freaking horrible way to learn to watch your children....

I agree. I hate to blame the parents, but that's how I see it. At 2 years old, that child shouldn't be unattended for a moment. If he'd been a little older, maybe I could see it, but not 2. Poor little guy... how horrible!! And how traumatic for the people on the ride.