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Boy dies in fall at S.J. Fair
6-year-old drops nearly 50 feet from Ferris wheel
Nick Juliano
Record Staff Writer
Published Monday, Jun 19, 2006
STOCKTON - A 6-year-old boy died Sunday after falling off a Ferris wheel at the San Joaquin Fair, police said.
The boy was on the Ferris wheel alone and fell from one of the gondola-style cars as it passed the peak of the nearly 50-foot-high Giant Wheel around 4:30 p.m., said Detective Roseann Clark, a Stockton Police Department spokeswoman. The boy's mother was watching from the ground as her son tumbled from the car, Clark said.
The boy and his mother were from Stockton, but their names were not released.
It's unclear exactly how the boy fell from the ride, but Clark said he might have been scared and tried to climb down as the wheel reached its zenith. Each car is fitted with two sets of swinging double doors that appear to remain unlocked while the ride is moving.
The fair remained open throughout the day Sunday, but the wheel was shut down. Fairgoers strolled past the ride Sunday night, many stopping to survey the entrance wrapped in police tape as investigators continued to examine the ride as late as 9 p.m.
The accident left witnesses shaken, although it's unclear how many other riders were on the Ferris wheel at the time.
"I don't even want to talk about it," said one man working at a carnival game directly across from the Ferris wheel who said he saw the boy fall.
A sign posted outside the Ferris wheel requires riders to be at least 42 inches tall to ride without an adult.
"ALL children must be of a size to hold themselves erect and stable," the sign warns.
Police are investigating the accident, as is the California Occupational Safety and Health Administration, which will determine whether the ride is too unsafe to continue operating, said Forrest White, the fair's chief executive officer.
The Giant Wheel is operated by Fairfield-based Butler Amusements Inc., which provided all the fair's carnival rides this year.
Contact reporter Nick Juliano at (209) 546-8272 or njuliano@recordnet.com
6-year-old drops nearly 50 feet from Ferris wheel
Nick Juliano
Record Staff Writer
Published Monday, Jun 19, 2006
STOCKTON - A 6-year-old boy died Sunday after falling off a Ferris wheel at the San Joaquin Fair, police said.
The boy was on the Ferris wheel alone and fell from one of the gondola-style cars as it passed the peak of the nearly 50-foot-high Giant Wheel around 4:30 p.m., said Detective Roseann Clark, a Stockton Police Department spokeswoman. The boy's mother was watching from the ground as her son tumbled from the car, Clark said.
The boy and his mother were from Stockton, but their names were not released.
It's unclear exactly how the boy fell from the ride, but Clark said he might have been scared and tried to climb down as the wheel reached its zenith. Each car is fitted with two sets of swinging double doors that appear to remain unlocked while the ride is moving.
The fair remained open throughout the day Sunday, but the wheel was shut down. Fairgoers strolled past the ride Sunday night, many stopping to survey the entrance wrapped in police tape as investigators continued to examine the ride as late as 9 p.m.
The accident left witnesses shaken, although it's unclear how many other riders were on the Ferris wheel at the time.
"I don't even want to talk about it," said one man working at a carnival game directly across from the Ferris wheel who said he saw the boy fall.
A sign posted outside the Ferris wheel requires riders to be at least 42 inches tall to ride without an adult.
"ALL children must be of a size to hold themselves erect and stable," the sign warns.
Police are investigating the accident, as is the California Occupational Safety and Health Administration, which will determine whether the ride is too unsafe to continue operating, said Forrest White, the fair's chief executive officer.
The Giant Wheel is operated by Fairfield-based Butler Amusements Inc., which provided all the fair's carnival rides this year.
Contact reporter Nick Juliano at (209) 546-8272 or njuliano@recordnet.com
Anyway I gotta debate this a-little. What so special about this report is that it was around my local area and I was going to that very same fair on that very same day but changed my mind anyway to start myself, I would like to ask anyone here "Who the love lets their child ride a Ferris wheel that reaches a tooping height of 50+feet alone?" Well this kid's doofus parents of course. For one thing, the boy woudldn't have died if the parents were atleast smart enough to go with him, and another thing, what the hell is going in this boy's parents' mind. They should've known better, plus you can't trust fairs because they are usually the best at creating an unsafe thrill ride environment.Right now the parents are sueing the fair for their sun's death. This clearly tells me they just want money from them. Makes me think the parents wanted the boy to die at the fair on a ride so they could attain big bucks. Anyway its still not the fair's fault. Even if the ride height requirement was 4'2" with companion and the boy was 4'1" and had no companion it still wouldn't matter. It's the parent's choice and they should've went with the boy. Instead they made a poor choice and now they got what they deserved for their poor choice..Many of you are asking why I would care anyway, but really this affected my parent's point of view towards the Fair. The used to think it was a fun place. Not exactly safe but safe enough, but they have now changed their minds and I don't think they'll let me go. I am a little doubtful that they won't let me go but maybe they will let me. Anyway that was just my 2 cents. I would enjoy hearing what other people think.
-italianpnoy112
http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/ ... 90323/1001
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