Teenager 'thought she was going to die' after falling out of fairground ride

Kadyleigh McKee, 13, was knocked unconscious when she fell 15ft from the Avalanche ride at a fairground, which was closed the next day to be checked over by experts

A schoolgirl feared she was about to die when she fell around 15ft from a ride at a travelling fairground and was knocked unconscious.

Kadyleigh McKee, 13, climbed aboard the Avalanche with eight members of her family and others. Five minutes into the ride, she began to slip and fell from around fifteen feet to the ground below.

Shocked onlookers rushed to her aid as the emergency stop button was pressed and the other riders were slowly lowered to the ground. Kadyleigh was knocked unconscious but came around seconds later and was taken to hospital to be checked out.

Mum Michaela, 38, told NottinghamshireLive : “She told me she thought she was going to die. She thought it was her last moment. Kadyleigh started shouting to my sister in law next to her: 'We need to stop the ride, we need to stop the ride, I'm going to fall.'

"I saw her do a roly poly in the air and flop to the floor. I rushed over. I was frantic. I was just shouting: 'That's my daughter, that's my daughter.'"

Kadyleigh was eventually diagnosed with concussion, a sprained elbow and with internal bruising to her ribs and has not attended school for the past week after complaining of headaches and nausea. The ride was stopped for the rest of the night while event staff checked it for faults. It reopened the next day.

Nottinghamshire Police was been made aware of the incident. Nottingham City Council, which runs Goose Fair but does not operate individual rides, said: “Nottingham City Council is aware of the incident and has been in touch with the injured party. Medical assistance was offered at the scene.

"Following the incident, as per Goose Fair regulations, ride operation was ceased for the rest of the evening whilst initial investigations took place between the ride operator/owner and the Event Health & Safety Officer. Further investigations took place the next morning in daylight.

"All fairground rides in the UK comply with the Amusement Devices Inspection Procedures Scheme (ADIPS), and following an incident such as this, a qualified and independent ADIPS inspector attended the site to investigate and inspect the ride and the potential cause of the incident. Following inspection of the ride, approval was granted for the ride to continue operation.

"The Council takes safety at Goose Fair very seriously. Whilst the safety of individual rides is a matter for the ride owner, the Council has recorded the incident with the Health & Safety Executive under RIDDOR (Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations) as required by law.”

A spokesperson for the Health & Safety Executive said: “This incident was reported to us by Nottingham City Council and we are making enquiries into what happened.”