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PHOENIX - A 12-year-old boy was seriously injured at Castles-N-Coasters Friday, according to Phoenix police.
According to Officer James Holmes, the boy was riding the log ride when for unknown reasons, he tried to get off while the ride was in motion.
Police say the boy got his foot caught and was dragged by the ride before eventually falling into the water.
Family has identified the boy as Dominick Leal and say he is in critical condition Saturday. They say he fell 30 feet into the water from the ride after attempting to alert ride attendants that he was slipping.
Leal's family told ABC15 that he is in a coma and has a cracked skull, bruising all over his body and has undergone brain surgery since the accident.
"I couldn???t believe it when I looked over to see if an employee was going in after him, and nobody was going after him I had to do what I had to do and go after him,??? Edward Stevenson, Dominick???s grandfather, said.
Visiting Castles N' Coasters was a Christmas time tradition for the Stevenson family, but they're now saying they'll never step foot in the business again after the incident.
"When I pulled him out of the water he was barely breathing, Stevenson said. "I had lost him, the ride was still going, I had to swim after him and grab him again and pull him back up."
They said the boy was yelling for the ride worker to stop the ride because he was slipping, but a general manager at the amusement park said that witnesses told them the boy panicked and grabbed a railing right as the car was going over a hill. They said they feel horrible, but the boy wasn't seated or holding on.
A YouCaring fundraiser has since been created to help pay for his medical bills.
Darsey Grantham, general manager of Castles N' Coasters, provided the following statement to ABC15:
???We at Castles N??? Coasters are devastated by this unfortunate incident, and our sincere condolences and prayers go out to this young boy and his family. We have offered family fun at our parks for over fifty years and this is the first incident of this nature that we have encountered. We want everyone who comes to Castles N??? Coasters to enjoy a safe and fun experience. We have an impeccable safety record, one of the best in the industry. We hold regularly scheduled Safety Meetings on all of our rides which are meticulously inspected on a daily basis before the public is allowed to participate on any ride. We have policies and procedures in place for the safety of our guests and are continually training our staff. We feel horrible that this happened. Castles N' Coasters closed the ride down last night after the incident due to compassion for Dominick and his family. At which time the officer on duty conducted a police report of the incident. This morning our mechanic went through his routine maintenance thoroughly checking the ride to verify that everything was 100% and operating efficiently. No further mandatory investigations will happen at this time."
According to Officer James Holmes, the boy was riding the log ride when for unknown reasons, he tried to get off while the ride was in motion.
Police say the boy got his foot caught and was dragged by the ride before eventually falling into the water.
Family has identified the boy as Dominick Leal and say he is in critical condition Saturday. They say he fell 30 feet into the water from the ride after attempting to alert ride attendants that he was slipping.
Leal's family told ABC15 that he is in a coma and has a cracked skull, bruising all over his body and has undergone brain surgery since the accident.
"I couldn???t believe it when I looked over to see if an employee was going in after him, and nobody was going after him I had to do what I had to do and go after him,??? Edward Stevenson, Dominick???s grandfather, said.
Visiting Castles N' Coasters was a Christmas time tradition for the Stevenson family, but they're now saying they'll never step foot in the business again after the incident.
"When I pulled him out of the water he was barely breathing, Stevenson said. "I had lost him, the ride was still going, I had to swim after him and grab him again and pull him back up."
They said the boy was yelling for the ride worker to stop the ride because he was slipping, but a general manager at the amusement park said that witnesses told them the boy panicked and grabbed a railing right as the car was going over a hill. They said they feel horrible, but the boy wasn't seated or holding on.
A YouCaring fundraiser has since been created to help pay for his medical bills.
Darsey Grantham, general manager of Castles N' Coasters, provided the following statement to ABC15:
???We at Castles N??? Coasters are devastated by this unfortunate incident, and our sincere condolences and prayers go out to this young boy and his family. We have offered family fun at our parks for over fifty years and this is the first incident of this nature that we have encountered. We want everyone who comes to Castles N??? Coasters to enjoy a safe and fun experience. We have an impeccable safety record, one of the best in the industry. We hold regularly scheduled Safety Meetings on all of our rides which are meticulously inspected on a daily basis before the public is allowed to participate on any ride. We have policies and procedures in place for the safety of our guests and are continually training our staff. We feel horrible that this happened. Castles N' Coasters closed the ride down last night after the incident due to compassion for Dominick and his family. At which time the officer on duty conducted a police report of the incident. This morning our mechanic went through his routine maintenance thoroughly checking the ride to verify that everything was 100% and operating efficiently. No further mandatory investigations will happen at this time."
http://www.abc15.com/news/region-phoeni ... in-phoenix
While this accident was the boy's own fault, my prayers are with him, his family, and friends.
