A fairground operator has denied that a ride restraint system has functioned in a dangerous manner, following claims a child was partially choked.
The mother of a 15-month-old girl has said she feared for her daughter’s life as girl reportedly slipped and became entangled with a safety chain around her neck.
Stephanie McMillan was quoted in the Manchester Evening News (MEN) as saying: “It was terrifying. All I kept thinking was it’s going to kill her. I can’t get that image out of my head.”
The 31-year-old parent also claimed that the ride operator ignored her pleas when she saw that her child was in difficulties.
It is alleged that it took both the girl’s father and another man to free the child from the ride, after which her face was “bright red” and her neck had “started to bruise”.
‘Child was fine’
The Manchester-based family reported the incident to fairground operators Carousel Fun Fairs who were running the event at Platt Fields Park in the city.
Safety manager Kevin Barrell told the MEN: “When I spoke to the father of the child I explained about the chain being there for safety reasons and the child was fine.
“They did say the child was restless when on the ride and she tried to get out.
“I offered them a refund which they took and they carried on riding on the fair and seemed happy to do so.”
Funfair manager Krystle Hart added: “The ride in question is a traditional children’s carousel that has been operating on fun fairs for hundreds of years.
“All our rides are approved by the Health and Safety Executive and are annually tested by the Amusement Device Inspection Procedure Scheme.”
“The chain on the ride is for safety reasons and it did what it was meant to do and stopped the child from falling.”