Young boy injured while riding carnival ride at Fayette County Fair

DUNBAR, Pa. — A young boy was injured while riding a carnival ride at the Fayette County Fair Sunday.

Powers and Thomas Midway Entertainment, the owner and operator of the rides, tells Channel 11 the “freak accident” happened on the Alien Abduction Ride. The boy’s head apparently got stuck in the wall of the ride between two seats.

Channel 11’s Andrew Havranek spoke with Kristeen Gratchic. Her 14-year-old and seven-year-old were both on Alien Abduction when that boy got his head stuck in the wall.

“The young boy who was injured was actually next to my 14-year-old,” Gratchic said.

The ride is one where riders enter a UFO-shaped room, which then spins quickly in a circle. Gratchic didn’t want to show her face on camera, but described what happened.

“It spins in a circle and it slides, where the passenger is on it, it slides up and down, and it holds them with velocity against the wall,” she said. “The boy just slid into the space between the two seats. He was pulled into the ride to the point where his ears were folded forwards.”

Powers and Thomas Midway Entertainment owns and operates the rides at the Fayette County Fair, and many others up and down the East Coast. They’ve been in business for nearly 40 years.

“Never heard that happen before on the rides,” said Tracy Thomas, co-owner.

Thomas said she doesn’t know exactly how the boy’s head got stuck. Medics were able to get him out and say he had only minor injuries.

Gratchic thinks the boy was too small.

“We saw the young boy who was pulled on, and he was shorter than my seven-year-old,” she said.

Thomas said he met the height requirement for the ride.

She said the incident report was filed with the state’s Amusement Rides and Attractions Office, and all of their rides are inspected daily.

“Everything was safe, there were no issues with the ride whatsoever,” Thomas said.

She said her thoughts and prayers are with the boy and his family.

Gratchic said that, despite the safety inspections, she’s changed her mind about letting her kids ride.

“My boys aren’t allowed to ride the rides now,” she said. 

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