comercrawley solicitors

13.04.2009

Norwich woman injured in fairground fall

A Norwich woman was recovering in hospital last night after injuring her back in a fall from a fairground ride.

The accident happened at the Chapelfield Gardens Easter fair in Norwich. Police and health and safety experts are investigating the circumstances.

Charlotte Cox, 27, was taken to the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital with a fractured lumbar vertebrae. She was riding on the Jumpin' Frog - a series of cars attached to hydraulic arms which rise and fall - when the car she was in reportedly slammed down rather than being gradually lowered at the end of the ride.

She managed to get out of the car in spite of being in extreme pain, but collapsed on the grass and her mother, Janet, called the emergency services.

When released from hospital she is due to be fitted with a brace and is expected to be off work for several weeks.

A spokesman for the police said officers attended the scene at the time of the incident and arranged with the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) for the ride to be shut down immediately.

A spokesman for HSE said: ‘The HSE has worked closely with the police and the ride remains closed until a thorough investigation has been carried out.’

It is understood the ride has now re-opened following safety checks.

Ian Comer is a personal injury specialist with lawyers comercrawley and has dealt successfully with a number of similar fairground accidents on behalf of claimants in the past.

‘Ms Cox was unfortunate in sustaining the injuries but in other respects is perhaps fortunate in that they could have been so much more serious,’ he says. ‘It’s no wonder her family are concerned at what happened.

‘Usually rides like this are meticulously maintained, because otherwise if maintenance and safety standards were deficient then health and safety would be down on the owners like a ton of bricks and they would be closed down.

‘Clearly I can’t prejudge the circumstances in this case, but accidents usually occur because of one of two reasons. There is equipment failure, which further implies a failure to inspect or maintain it properly, or there is human error.

‘In either of these scenarios there would seem to be a primary responsibility resting on the operator, but obviously that would have to be proven.’

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