-Cp
10-06-2008, 11:40 AM
PORT ORANGE, Fla. -- A group of fairgoers caught and saved a toddler who was dropped nearly 40 feet from a carnival ride as her mother dangled above the crowd.
"It was very scary witnessing the mother hanging from the ride with her daughter," witness Leann Craft said. "The little girl was completely dangling outside of the ride."
Sheri Pinkerton became trapped when the Crazy Bus ride at a carnival in Port Orange started up suddenly as Pinkerton and children were getting off the ride.
"I heard a bunch of screaming and I looked over and the school bus had started to go back up as the mother was getting off with her little girl," Craft said. "She was pretty much caught. She was half in and half out. Her leg was caught up underneath the ride and she was holding on to her little girl."
A group of men then gathered under the dangling mother and child and urged the woman to let go of her daughter.
"I let go of her and she grabbed my shirt so I had to pry her hands off my shirt and let her fall," Pinkerton said. "There was noting I could do. I could not hold both of us. I held on to her as long as I could."
"A bunch of men -- 10 to 12 men-- ran on to the platform and pleaded with the mother to just drop the baby so they could catch her," Craft said. "She held on to her baby for probably three minutes or so and then she did drop the baby so they could catch her -- which they did."
The group was then able to get a ladder and rescue the woman and other riders from the school bus.
"There were other children on the ride and parents were screaming," Craft said. "The children were so scared and the parents were all yelling, pleading to their kids to just stay there."
Pinkerton and her child were not seriously injured.
"I'm so incredibly thankful to everyone who was there and was able to help her," Pinkerton said.
Florida ride inspectors are trying to determine what caused the ride to unexpectedly move.
"I think it was operator error," Pinkerton said. "What we got preliminary from the police is that he forgot to apply the brake."
The carnival is open but the ride is no longer in service.
For the last seven years, the carnival rides have been provided by a company called Arnold Amusements.
Local 6 reported that company officials refused comment.
Watch Local 6 News for more on this story.
Video at link:
http://www.local6.com/news/17626870/detail.html
"It was very scary witnessing the mother hanging from the ride with her daughter," witness Leann Craft said. "The little girl was completely dangling outside of the ride."
Sheri Pinkerton became trapped when the Crazy Bus ride at a carnival in Port Orange started up suddenly as Pinkerton and children were getting off the ride.
"I heard a bunch of screaming and I looked over and the school bus had started to go back up as the mother was getting off with her little girl," Craft said. "She was pretty much caught. She was half in and half out. Her leg was caught up underneath the ride and she was holding on to her little girl."
A group of men then gathered under the dangling mother and child and urged the woman to let go of her daughter.
"I let go of her and she grabbed my shirt so I had to pry her hands off my shirt and let her fall," Pinkerton said. "There was noting I could do. I could not hold both of us. I held on to her as long as I could."
"A bunch of men -- 10 to 12 men-- ran on to the platform and pleaded with the mother to just drop the baby so they could catch her," Craft said. "She held on to her baby for probably three minutes or so and then she did drop the baby so they could catch her -- which they did."
The group was then able to get a ladder and rescue the woman and other riders from the school bus.
"There were other children on the ride and parents were screaming," Craft said. "The children were so scared and the parents were all yelling, pleading to their kids to just stay there."
Pinkerton and her child were not seriously injured.
"I'm so incredibly thankful to everyone who was there and was able to help her," Pinkerton said.
Florida ride inspectors are trying to determine what caused the ride to unexpectedly move.
"I think it was operator error," Pinkerton said. "What we got preliminary from the police is that he forgot to apply the brake."
The carnival is open but the ride is no longer in service.
For the last seven years, the carnival rides have been provided by a company called Arnold Amusements.
Local 6 reported that company officials refused comment.
Watch Local 6 News for more on this story.
Video at link:
http://www.local6.com/news/17626870/detail.html