A toddler has been seriously injured after he was reportedly run over by a caterpillar ride at a fairground.

The boy, aged three, had to be airlifted to hospital on Sunday.

A witness who was there with her own children said she saw ride attendants desperately tried to lift the carriage off him to free him.

She said that there was blood dripping from a cut on his back, and he was unable to stand up again.

The accident happened at the South of England Showground in Ardingley, West Sussex.

‘It was absolutely awful and my two children were in disbelief,’ the mum who witnessed it told The Sun.

‘He was face down on the track and as a mum I would have been in absolute panic.’

The paper reported that the child may have found a gap in the fence near the ride entrance and managed to get to the track.

A spokesman for the South of England Agricultural Society, which organised the fair, said: ‘This was treated very seriously, and an investigation was immediately launched led by Sussex Police and the Health & Safety Executive to gather full information.

‘Our professional medical and emergency service providers and the police, who were all already on-site, were on the scene within minutes and the individual received swift treatment. 

‘As our protocol dictates, the medical providers immediately called 999 to ensure the individual received the fastest possible access to further emergency care.

‘We were later informed that the visitor’s injuries are believed to be superficial and that they are being kept in hospital for the time being for observation.  They are expected to make a full recovery.

‘Our thoughts and feelings are with the family, and we wish for a speedy recovery.’

A Sussex Police spokesman said: ‘Police responded to a report of a child being struck by a fairground ride at South of England show, Ardingly at 5pm on Sunday. 

‘A three-year-old boy suffered a serious injury requiring hospital treatment.

‘He is now in a stable condition.  Enquries into the incident are ongoing.’

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at [email protected].

For more stories like this, check our news page.

Source: Read Full Article