Lonoke, AR — A 5-year old girl was hurt and sent to the hospital for surgery on Saturday, September 26, 2015 after her hand got caught in a ride at the Lonoke County Fair.
The accident happened around 3:00 p.m. that afternoon at a carnival run by the Texas-based company, Kenny’s Funland Carnival.
According to the reports, the 5-year old girl was on a tractor ride at the fair and was riding around a track when her hand became caught in between the tractor tire and the fender. What’s more, the tractor’s driver didn’t notice and did two more laps before realizing that anything was wrong.
The girl was rushed to a hospital and had to have surgery for her burns, but is believed to be in stable condition.
Kenny’s Funland Carnival hasn’t made any comments on this yet.
Map of the Lonoke Fair Grounds
Commentary:
Each year that the fair opens up here in Dallas, I brace myself for some of the accidents that will inevitably be talked about in the news. Fairgrounds are fun, delightful places, but they can also be dangerous — considering all the moving vehicles, rides, make-shift fences and barriers, and, of course, sometimes alcohol as well.
Businesses like this traveling carnival have to maintain some level of liability insurance to cover accidents like this one. Whether the manager of this company has decided to do the right thing and accept fault for a potentially dangerous ride or simply blame it on the child, I don’t know. However, if that tractor ride needs to have better safeguards in place to prevent kids from getting fingers and hands caught on moving parts (like a tire), then I think some changes are in order, don’t you?
— Grossman Law Offices
