Woman treated for critical injuries after falling from ride at Cairns Showfest
Terrified people were kept on a Cairns show ride for up to a minute after a woman fell several metres and had to be extricated from the ‘ride’s machinery’, causing her critical injuries. SEE THE VIDEO
QLD News
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A woman remains in hospital with critical injuries after falling several metres from a ride at the Cairns Showgrounds.
Multiple paramedics were on the scene at the corner of Scott and Severin St in Parramatta Park on Saturday morning where a young woman sustained critical injuries.
The woman is believed to have fallen several metres from a “structure” at the Showfest event about 5.30pm, where she was then trapped.
The woman, 25, was taken to Cairns Hospital in a critical condition with a critical care paramedic on board.
Acting Senior Operations Supervisor Denis O’Sullivan said paramedics faced a “difficult extrication” of the woman, who fell “into components of the ride’s machinery.”
They were helpedBby some off duty nurses.
“She sustained serious and traumatic injuries,” Mr O’Sullivan said.
Video footage of the frantic moments after the woman fell shows it took about one minute for the ride to come to a stop.
A joint investigation between Queensland Police and Workplace Health and Safety is under way.
Forensic Crash Investigators were at the scene last night.
Showfest, a mini-show, had been hosted at the showgrounds for the past three days.
It included motocross, trucks, rides, sideshow alley and fireworks.
The company was contacted multiple times for comment by The Sunday-Mail on Saturday night.
Cairns local Darnell Addo said he was watching the ride when the woman plummeted from the top of the ride to the ground.
“Once she hit the ground she hit her shoulder and her head hit back, and her skull opened,” he said.
“Her whole head went purple.
“Once she hit it, everyone thought it was a phone or a bag and I saw what it was and I ended up running back in shock.”
Mr Addo said the ride continued for about a minute before it stopped moving and the woman was attended to.
“They wouldn’t stop the ride, they wouldn’t stop the ride until it was finished and everyone was screaming about it.
“I don’t know if it’s because it’s got a timer or they can’t stop it, they just kept on going and going and then it was like slowly stopping and everyone was looking at it.”
He said a woman was trying to get into the ride to attend to the woman but an employee was holding her back while the ride continued to move.
“The ride person was holding her back saying you can’t go through or she will be hit by the ride.”
Dozens of patrons reportedly rushed from the showgrounds after the incident.
“There were so many people that were in shock, the paramedics tried to attend to them but most of them ended up leaving like straight away,” Mr Addo said.
“Half of them got off and ran straight out of the gate.”
Mr Addo said at least four ambulances arrived at the ride and the area was blocked off.
He said the Hang Over was a well-known ride in the area.
“This ride has been in Cairns since I was a kid,” he said.