4-year-old tossed from Aiken carnival ride, mom says
AIKEN, S.C. (WRDW/WAGT) - An Aiken mother told deputies her young child was thrown off a carnival ride over the weekend.
It happened between 2:20 and 2:30 p.m. Sunday, according to a report from the Aiken County Sheriff’s Office. The family told News 12 a 4-year-old was thrown off the Arctic Blast ride at Aiken Fest.
The mother called deputies from Wellstar MCG hospital in Augusta, where they said the child was rushed after the incident.
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Deputies didn’t have details on the injuries, but said non-emergency transportation was used to get the child to the hospital.
A deputy determined no crime was involved and told the mother the case was a civil matter.
The ride, owned by Rethoffer Shows, which puts on Aiken Fest, was last inspected April 3, according to the South Carolina Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation’s Office of Elevators and Amusement Rides, which has jurisdiction.
It ed the inspection, which expires Dec. 31, according to the agency, which also said there has been no record of any past incident involving the ride.
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We asked the agency if the incident had been reported, and a spokeswoman said: “Although not required by state law, an incident was reported to the South Carolina Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation (LLR)’s Office of Elevators and Amusement Rides.”
The agency said the owner is required to report any accident involving serious injury by the end of the next business day.
However, she said: “The owner has not reported an accident involving serious injury.”
The agency doesn’t keep records such as height or age requirements.
However, the Reithoffer website says the height requirement on the Arctic Blast is 48 inches – feet.
Reithoffer says on the site that the 60-seat ride is manufactured by Mack and was purchased in 1981.
We reached out to Reithoffer for comment and haven’t heard back.
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Aiken Fest is a sort of a mini spring fair that’s held at the fairgrounds, featuring 21 rides, games and food. It ran for a few days before ending Sunday.
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