Boy remains in critical condition after Ex accident

WINNIPEG – A teenage boy remains in critical condition after being hit by a roller coaster at the Red River Ex.

It happened around 6 Thursday night on the Crazy Mouse ride.

It travels at speeds up to 40 kilometers an hour but staff couldn’t stop the roller coaster in time before a 16-year old boy was struck by a car and seriously injured.

“We heard people screaming and when we looked back,” said 13-year old Samantha Bennett who was on the ride when the boy was hit.  She says when she looked back, she saw the boy lying on the ground, bleeding, “It was really shocking because you’re not really expecting it, no one would really stand up on a ride, it was terrifying.”

The boy was rushed to hospital where he remains in critical condition.

The teen, from a northern Manitoba community was on the ride, when his hat blew off.

Police say it landed in a restricted area so when he got off, he asked staff to get the hat but it wasn’t safe. Then suddenly the ride operators noticed the boy near the tracks.

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“The emergency stop was deployed but the ride moves very quickly and it wasn’t in time to stop this incident,” said Garth Rogerson, CEO of the Red River Exhibition Association.

Global news has learned the teen jumped a six foot high fence, maneuvered his way through the steel structure and picked up his hat.  But when he stood up, he was struck by one of the cars.

“This is a very unsafe area,” said Rogerson, “if you go past the fence we’re into the track area and those cars whip around the corner so the fence is a safety barrier.”

The ride did not malfunction and no one is being charged.

Several staff who witnessed the incident are now receiving counselling.

“The fellows running it are very traumatized by it,” said Rogerson.

Winnipeg Police, Workplace Safety and Health and the Fire Commissioners Office have all investigated the incident. They have deemed the ride safe and it’s back in operation.