Adelaide Royal Show ride death: Adelene Leong’s mother details ‘immeasurable grief and despair’
THE mother of a little girl flung to her death on a Adelaide Show ride tells how her “future and hope for life” were shattered after losing her only child. A court has heard that the ride owners are facing financial ruin.
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THE mother of a little girl flung to her death on a Royal Adelaide Show ride has revealed how her “future and hope for life” were shattered after losing her only “beloved” daughter.
Kim Neo Ng’s “immeasurable grief and despair” was detailed to the Industrial Court on Tuesday after her eight-year-old daughter Adelene Leong was hurled more than 10m from the AirMaxx 360 ride in September 2014.
In her emotional victim impact statement tendered to the court, Ms Ng, 52, said she now spent most of her days in tears after watching her daughter die while on a family holiday.
Her daughter’s death came four years after her husband died from undisclosed circumstances, leaving her life now “meaningless” while her “sorrow, pain, grief and loss are beyond words”.
Ms Ng, who was visiting Adelaide from Malaysia, continues to battle her devastation, requires ongoing psychiatric treatment and struggles to sleep.
Speaking in depth publicly about the incident for the first time, she told how she had lost all of her self-esteem and confidence.
She said she refused to socialise with any friends that knew her daughter because it brought back painful memories.
Ms Ng did not attend court on Tuesday and her statement was read by prosecutor Angela Moffa.
She told Magistrate Michael Ardlie of her nightmares having “seen my daughter fall to her death”.
While it was completed several months after the incident in April 2015, her statement was revealed during a sentencing submissions hearing on Tuesday after the ride owners admitted a series of health and safety breaches.
“I continue to suffer immeasurable grief and despair,” she said.
“I spend most of my days in tears and no longer have any joy or hope. My life has become meaningless.
“I have lost all self-esteem and confidence since the loss of my only child.”
She added: “I have become isolated as I am afraid to leave my home and long longer with other people, in particular those who knew Adelene as it is too painful.
“It is difficult to continue living my life without her. My sorrow, pain, grief and loss are beyond words.
“Five years ago I lost my husband and now I have also lost my only daughter. My future and hope in life has been taken away from me.”
Ms Ng said it was impossible to put into words or detail any amounts of money she will need in future, having lost her “beloved daughter”.
But the court heard that she was seeking the maximum $20,000 compensation payment allowed under state law from the owners.
She had not been handed any government payout.
The court heard the ride’s owner has been left in financial ruin and was unlikely to be able to pay any fines or a large sum of compensation.
Ms Ng has previously paid tribute around the first anniversary of the incident and told how her “heart still aches with excruciating pain”.
Her Adelaide-based lawyer declined to comment.