Child Thrown From Malfunctioning Carnival Ride In Illinois

A 10-year-old child was thrown off of a carnival ride in Antioch after a bar failed to lock into place. According to WGN9, the incident occurred on the Moby Dick ride around 2:40 p.m. on Sunday at the Taste of Antioch festival. Another child by the name of Elliot Johnson was riding the Moby Dick at the same time as the 10-year-old who was injured. Johnson witnessed the child fly 10 feet out of their seat and attempted to rescue them.

“My bar was coming up over my head, so every time I went up because it was going up and I was almost about to fall out, I would slam down to close it so that way I would not fall out. Then as soon as it started slowing down and it was about maybe rocking on the floor, I was able to push it up and slide out.”

Johnson then ran to help the child, but by the time he got there medical personnel were already providing care. The injured child, whose name has not been released, was airlifted to the nearest hospital. Soon after the child fell out of the ride, Antioch Mayor Scott Gartner ordered all the rides at the festival to be closed and reviewed for safety.

The child's current condition remains unknown as the state department of labor and local police and fire department officials investigate the incident.