Latest news with #Airmaxx360
Daily Mirror
a day ago
- Daily Mirror
Woman flung from popular fairground ride at 60mph 'lucky to be alive'
Jade Harrison was visiting Hull Fair with friends when she was flung from the Airmaxx 360 ride at 60mph, smashing into another attraction before hitting the ground and blacking out A teacher who was thrown from a fairground ride at 60mph while at a fair with friends has admitted she is "lucky to be alive". Jade Harrison was flung from the Airmaxx 360 ride at Hull Fair when a metal bar across her lap gave way. The preschool teacher from Hull was hurled from the ride and smashed into another attraction mid-air before crashing to the ground. The 27-year-old was rushed to Hull Royal Infirmary where she was found to have a broken jaw requiring surgery and metal plates. She also suffered serious nerve damage to her right thigh, which remains numb to this day, as well as internal bruising to her chest, facial injuries and damaged teeth that needed removal and repair. Following the incident in October 2019, Jade received a five-figure settlement from the insurers of the ride's owners, Taylor's Funfairs, who admitted liability for the accident. Speaking about the near-death experience, Jade said she visited the fair every year but had never gone on the Airmaxx 360 before. The Airmaxx 360 spins full circles while lifting and dropping individual carriages, reaching speeds of up to 60mph. 'I watched it go around and I thought no that's alright I'll go on that," Jade said. A minute and a half into the ride, Jade said she heard a strange clicking sound from her seat restraint, but brushed it off when her friend said theirs had done the same. Then the carriage began to shift and changed position. 'I just remember thinking I don't like that, I don't like that," she said. "And then it was too late. As soon as the ride started bouncing the bar just gave away." Jade was hurled from the ride, hitting another attraction mid-air before crashing to the ground. She blacked out instantly. 'All I remember is the feeling of flipping like you do in a dream when you wake up startled," the teacher said. 'When I came to I was laid on the floor next to the ride but everyone was just around me and I was a bit confused. I kind of forgot where I was and what I was doing so it took me a minute to realise what had happened. 'Then obviously I started panicking and everyone was telling me to calm down. It felt like ages for the paramedics to get there but in reality it was only about two minutes.' She added: 'When I came off my ride I hit the ride next to me. They even said if I had hit that ride differently I would be dead. There was no way of surviving. Luckily I hit the ride the way that I did so I hit the carriage, rather than the floor or anything else.' Jade spent four days in hospital and was unable to return to work for nearly a year after the accident in October 2019. She continued to undergo dental work into 2021 and says the mental recovery took just as long. 'I was in denial in the beginning. It was hard for me to accept that it happened to me," Jade said. 'I would constantly tell myself I'm not going to think about it, I'm not going to think about it. But by doing that I was just delaying pain. When I think about it deeply and I think how differently it could have gone I think I'm lucky to be alive." Jade, who was unable to get out of bed without her partner's help, has insisted she will "never go on a fairground ride again". Now living with the lasting effects of her accident, Jade says the incident still impacts her life, six years on. 'It's still a prevalent factor in my life," she said. "When I look in the mirror I always notice my leg, my right thigh that is damaged. That's quite a big insecurity to me. That's the main thing that reminds me.' Jade is unable to have further surgery on her leg, as it is classed as cosmetic surgery, meaning she will be unable to have paid time off work. She believes more must be done to prevent similar accidents. 'I definitely think something needs to be done to stop this happening. It just doesn't make sense," she said. Jade received a five-figure settlement from the insurers of the ride's owners, Taylor's Funfairs, who admitted liability for the accident. A criminal investigation by the Health and Safety Executive was later dropped in 2023. The report found that the safety restraints of the Airmaxx 360 were 'inadequate'.
Daily Mirror
a day ago
- Daily Mirror
'I was thrown from a fairgound ride at 60mph, I'm lucky to be alive'
Jade, 27, says the last thing she remembers is thinking 'I don't like that' as the ride made a strange clicking noise A woman says she's 'lucky to be alive' after she was thrown from a fairground ride at 60mph. Jade Harrison, 27, was was flung from the Airmaxx 360 ride at Hull Fair when a metal bar across her lap gave way. The preschool teacher from Hull was left with a broken jaw and struggling to breathe. Jade received a five-figure settlement from the insurers of the ride's owners, Taylor's Funfairs, who admitted liability for the accident. She visited the fair every year with her friends, but had never ridden the attraction before. 'I wasn't planning on going on any rides,' Jade said. 'But my friend wanted to go on the Airmaxx 360. I didn't want to be left on my own.' The Airmaxx 360 spins full circles while lifting and dropping individual carriages, reaching speeds of up to 60mph. 'I watched it go around and I thought no that's alright I'll go on that. A minute and a half into the ride, Jade said she heard a strange clicking sound from her seat restraint, but brushed it off when her friend said theirs had done the same. I didn't really panic.' Then the carriage began to shift and changed position. 'I just remember thinking I don't like that, I don't like that. And then it was too late. As soon as the ride started bouncing the bar just gave away." Jade was hurled from the ride, hitting another attraction mid-air before crashing to the ground. She blacked out instantly. 'All I remember is the feeling of flipping like you do in a dream when you wake up startled. When I came to I was laid on the floor next to the ride but everyone was just around me and I was a bit confused. I kind of forgot where I was and what I was doing so it took me a minute to realise what had happened. 'Then obviously I started panicking and everyone was telling me to calm down. It felt like ages for the paramedics to get there but in reality it was only about two minutes.' She was rushed to Hull Royal Infirmary where she was found to have a broken jaw requiring surgery and metal plates. She also suffered serious nerve damage to her right thigh, which remains numb to this day, as well as internal bruising to her chest, facial injuries and damaged teeth that needed removal and repair. 'The most painful part was my chest,' she said. 'I couldn't sit up or take a deep breath. When I got home, I couldn't get out of bed without my partner's help.' Jade spent four days in hospital and was unable to return to work for nearly a year after the accident in October 2019. She continued to undergo dental work into 2021 and says the mental recovery took just as long. 'I was in denial in the beginning. It was hard for me to accept that it happened to me. I would constantly tell myself I'm not going to think about it, I'm not going to think about it. But by doing that I was just delaying pain. 'When I think about it deeply and I think how differently it could have gone I think I'm lucky to be alive.' 'When I came off my ride I hit the ride next to me. They even said if I had hit that ride differently I would be dead. There was no way of surviving. Luckily I hit the ride the way that I did so I hit the carriage, rather than the floor or anything else.' Jade received a five-figure settlement from the insurers of the ride's owners, Taylor's Funfairs, who admitted liability for the accident. A criminal investigation by the Health and Safety Executive was later dropped in 2023. The report found that the safety restraints of the Airmaxx 360 were 'inadequate'. She hasn't returned to a fairground since. 'I would never go on a fairground ride again.' she said. 'I've been on the teacups with my nephew, but that's about as far as I'll go. Anything where my feet leave the ground isn't happening.' Now living with the lasting effects of her accident, Jade says the incident still impacts her life, six years on. 'It's still a prevalent factor in my life. When I look in the mirror I always notice my leg, my right thigh that is damaged. 'That's quite a big insecurity to me. That's the main thing that reminds me.' Jade is unable to have further surgery on her leg, as it is classed as cosmetic surgery, meaning she will be unable to have paid time off work. She believes more must be done to prevent similar accidents. 'I definitely think something needs to be done to stop this happening. It just doesn't make sense.'
Scottish Sun
5 days ago
- Scottish Sun
Woman relives horror moment she was flung from deadly 60mph funfair ride after slipping out her harness
A WOMAN who was thrown from a fairground ride "like a ragdoll" at 60mph recalled the horror moment she slipped from her harness. Jade Harrison suffered serious injuries and could "barely walk" after she woke up from the devastating accident in Hull. 3 Jade Harrison described the moment she was thrown from a ride at the Hull Fair Credit: BBC 3 Jade suffered serious injuries and could "barely walk" Credit: MEN Media The 27-year-old nursery nurse used to go to the Hull Fair every year. But in 2019, she boarded the Airmaxx 360 ride and just minutes in, she began to slip out of her seat. She heard a "clicking noise" on her safety restraint and fell out, flying through the air and hitting another ride. She told BBC Panorama that when she opened her eyes, she had no memory of where she was or what had happened. Jade said: "I heard a clicking noise in my bar. The ride was going for about a minute and a half, then the carriage changed position. "That's the last concrete thing I remember. I could feel myself slip. I just woke up and I was laid on the floor on my back, and I remember thinking 'what's going on?' "I had a bit of amnesia. I was panicking, I could feel that something wasn't right in my mouth - it felt like all my teeth had gone." But she was covered in black and purple bruises and could "barely walk" due to her injuries. She broke her jaw, damage to her teeth, internal bruising and severe damage to both thighs. At the time, Jade said she woke up, surrounded by strangers and at first she thought she was in a dream. "People have said I looked like I was dead, with my eyes open. I thought it was a dream, I gave it a minute and then realised it wasn't a dream and that's when I started to panic and people were telling me not to move. "I just remember seeing silver, as if it was the floor, I would have said I fell out and dropped straight to the ground below, I didn't know I had been flown through the air like a ragdoll until my mum told me in hospital." Surgeons were forced to remove some of her teeth and put three metal plates in her jaw which will remain there for the rest of her life. Ben Corran, 18, was crushed when Jade landed on him after falling from her seat. He was on the neighbouring ride "The Sizzler" when Jade collided with him. The force knocked his head back and he was crushed by his metal harness. The teenager was trapped in the ride, and when he was eventually freed he spent the night in the hospital, and asked his parents to send flowers to Jade. According to his dad, Ben used to be a "daredevil" but the ordeal has left him terrified of rides and he even feels nervous being "trapped" in a car by his seat belt. Jade was paid compensation from the ride's owners but she was horrified to find out that a child had died on the same ride in 2014. An eight-year-old girl was flung from the AirMaxx 360 in Australia and tragically died. She was 3cm shorter than the height requirement for the ride. The ride in Australia was never used again after Adelene Leong's horrifying death - but it was sold to a UK owner in 2017. The coroner found that the machine's safety was poor, especially the locking mechanism on the restraints. The HSE's investigation into the ride after the accident in Hull found that the "mechanical design of primary and secondary locks that are intended to prevent movement of the restraint was found to be inadequate". Jade and Adelene are just two of thousands who have been seriously hurt or killed on fairground rides. Between April 2014 and March 2014, there were 3,188 injuries in theme parks., according to an FOI request. The BBC reported that there were 350 in 2023-2024. Funfair rides are supposed to be thoroughly inspected every year for any faults. In 2001, Gemma Savage was killed when two cars collided on the Twister Ride in the Lightwater Valley theme park. The park was ordered to pay a £35,000 fine plus £40,000 costs for health and safety breaches over the 20-year-old's death. And chaos again erupted at the same ride at the theme park near Ripon, North Yorkshire, in 2019 when a seven-year-old boy dangled from a roller coaster before falling to the ground. Gemma's mum said at the time: "The ride was not fit for purpose 18 years ago and it is still causing problems. "The accident that killed Gemma devastated our family and our thoughts and prayers are with the family of the young boy who was injured." Hayley Williams, 16, tragically fell to her death while riding Hydro at Oakwood Theme Park in Pembrokeshire, Wales, in April 2004. The ride was closed for a year before reopening with new safety measures, before being later renamed Drenched in 2011. Owners of the theme park were fined £250,000 over the death of Hayley, a Sunday school teacher, who had been visiting on a family outing. Now, Drenched is being dismantled for good after Hayley's heartbroken parents campaigned for better safety standards at parks across the UK. Last year, riders on a rollercoaster were left terrified and 'stuck" after a structural beam fell onto the track. The incident happened at 3.25pm on October 25, 2024, on the Monkey Mayhem ride at West Midlands Safari Park. A metal structural beam from the ride is said to have fallen onto the track before the rollercoaster came to an emergency stop and closed. Regal Smith, 27 - who was at the park with their son - said people started "screaming" and "running away" from the ride. They said two people - who looked like a mother and son - were stuck on the ride before a rescue team were able to bring them down.
The Irish Sun
5 days ago
- The Irish Sun
Woman relives horror moment she was flung from deadly 60mph funfair ride after slipping out her harness
A WOMAN who was thrown from a fairground ride "like a ragdoll" at 60mph recalled the horror moment she slipped from her harness. Jade Harrison suffered serious injuries and could "barely walk" after she woke up from the devastating accident in Hull. 3 Jade Harrison described the moment she was thrown from a ride at the Hull Fair Credit: BBC 3 Jade suffered serious injuries and could "barely walk" Credit: MEN Media The 27-year-old nursery nurse used to go to the Hull Fair every year. But in 2019, she boarded the Airmaxx 360 ride and just minutes in, she began to slip out of her seat. She heard a "clicking noise" on her safety restraint and fell out, flying through the air and hitting another ride. She told Jade said: "I heard a clicking noise in my bar. The ride was going for about a minute and a half, then the carriage changed position. "That's the last concrete thing I remember. I could feel myself slip. I just woke up and I was laid on the floor on my back, and I remember thinking 'what's going on?' "I had a bit of amnesia. I was panicking, I could feel that something wasn't right in my mouth - it felt like all my teeth had gone." But she was covered in black and purple bruises and could "barely walk" due to her injuries. Most read in The Sun She broke her jaw, damage to her teeth, internal bruising and severe damage to both thighs. At the time, Jade said she woke up, surrounded by strangers and at first she thought she was in a dream. "People have said I looked like I was dead, with my eyes open. I thought it was a dream, I gave it a minute and then realised it wasn't a dream and that's when I started to panic and people were telling me not to move. "I just remember seeing silver, as if it was the floor, I would have said I fell out and dropped straight to the ground below, I didn't know I had been flown through the air like a ragdoll until my mum told me in hospital." Surgeons were forced to remove some of her teeth and put three metal plates in her jaw which will remain there for the rest of her life. Ben Corran, 18, was crushed when Jade landed on him after falling from her seat. He was on the neighbouring The teenager was trapped in the ride, and when he was eventually freed he spent the night in the hospital, and asked his parents to send flowers to Jade. According to his dad, Ben used to be a "daredevil" but the ordeal has left him terrified of rides and he even feels nervous being "trapped" in a car by his seat belt. Jade was paid compensation from the ride's owners but she was horrified to find out that a child had died on the same ride in 2014. An eight-year-old girl was flung from the AirMaxx 360 in Australia and tragically died. She was 3cm shorter than the height requirement for the ride. The ride in Australia was never used again after Adelene Leong's horrifying death - but it was sold to a UK owner in 2017. The coroner found that the machine's safety was poor, especially the locking mechanism on the restraints. The HSE's investigation into the ride after the accident in Hull found that the "mechanical design of primary and secondary locks that are intended to prevent movement of the restraint was found to be inadequate". Jade and Adelene are just two of thousands who have been seriously hurt or killed on fairground rides. Between April 2014 and March 2014, there were 3,188 injuries in theme parks., according to an FOI request. The BBC reported that there were 350 in 2023-2024. Funfair rides are supposed to be thoroughly inspected every year for any faults. In 2001, Gemma Savage was killed when two cars collided on the Twister Ride in the Lightwater Valley theme park. The park was ordered to pay a £35,000 fine plus £40,000 costs for health and safety breaches over the 20-year-old's death. And chaos again erupted at the same ride at the theme park near Ripon, North Yorkshire, in 2019 Gemma's mum said at the time: "The ride was not fit for purpose 18 years ago and it is still causing problems. "The accident that killed Gemma devastated our family and our thoughts and prayers are with the family of the young boy who was injured." Hayley Williams, 16, tragically fell to her death while riding Hydro at Oakwood Theme Park in Pembrokeshire , Wales , in April 2004. The ride was closed for a year before reopening with new safety measures, before being later renamed Drenched in 2011. Owners of the theme park were fined £250,000 over the death of Hayley, a Sunday school teacher, who had been visiting on a family outing. Now, Drenched is being Last year, The incident happened at 3.25pm on October 25, 2024, on the Monkey Mayhem ride at Safari Park. A metal structural beam from the ride is said to have fallen onto the track before the rollercoaster came to an emergency stop and closed. Read more on the Irish Sun Regal Smith, 27 - who was at the park with their son - said people started "screaming" and "running away" from the ride. They said two people - who looked like a mother and son - were stuck on the ride before a rescue team were able to bring them down. 3 Jade fell from the Airmaxx 360 ride in Hull in 2019 Credit: Funfair Worldwide
