Fire commissioner investigating ride where one boy hurt, another left hanging

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 02/05/2016 (3729 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

WINNIPEG — Manitoba’s fire commissioner is investigating an incident involving an amusement park ride in which one 13-year-old boy was injured and another was left dangling in the air with the door to his cage open.

The boys say they were set to board the Zipper ride at the Wonder Shows carnival in a grocery store parking lot on Saturday night.

But Jevyn Philipchuk says the person operating the ride hit the start button before they were securely inside.

He says his friend, Quayshone Jordan-Arthur, was hit in the back of the head by an oncoming cage and knocked to the ground.

Philipchuk’s cage swung up into the air, and the boy believes if he hadn’t been holding onto the sides of his unit, he might have fallen six metres.

Both boys say carnival staff did not call 911 but instead drove them to hospital, where Jordan-Arthur was diagnosed with a mild concussion and received five stitches.

The boys’ parents are upset about the way the incident was handled, and worry their children could have been more seriously hurt.

“I was concerned about his life to begin with, and the after-effects of the disaster of the accident,” says Quayshone’s father, Renato Arthur, who says he wondered if he son was going to end up paralyzed.

“I just think they should have better restrictions and protocols if something like that does happen,” says Jevyn’s father, Jason Philipchuk.

Wonder Shows did not return calls seeking comment.

(CTV Winnipeg)

Note to readers: This is a corrected story. A version that moved Monday incorrectly spelled the boy’s last name Philipchuck, when it should be Philipchuk.