by A 10-year-old boy suffered “significant injuries” after he was thrown from a Moby Dick-themed carnival ride in northern Illinois in an accident that could lead to criminal charges, authorities said Monday.
Police and firefighters in Antioch, Illinois, a town just south of the Wisconsin border, halfway between chicago and milwaukee – hurried to Antioquia flavor of summer festival around 2:40 p.m. CDT Sunday, authorities said.
First responders “discovered an injured 10-year-old boy who appeared to have been thrown from a carnival game,” according to a police statement on Sunday.
The boy was on a ride called Moby Dick, which encircles people by the shoulders and then goes up and down as speed increases.
The boy was first taken to Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge, but due to the severity of his injuries, the boy was airlifted to Comer Children’s Hospital in Chicago, according to a statement from the village Monday.
He “suffered multiple facial and jaw fractures and significant bone damage in his leg,” the statement added.
The young man was to have surgery Monday, Antioch Fire Chief Jon Cokefair told NBC News.
“He has some pretty significant injuries,” said Cokefair, who estimated the boy’s fall to be about 15 to 20 feet.
“I saw maybe the third time, he almost dove, like his hands were down and his legs were straight and (he) landed” on the pavement, witness Elliott Johnson. told NBC Chicago.
Johnson said he also rode the Moby Dick ride and had trouble with the safety bar.
“My bar would come over my ear, so I would try, every time I would go up…I was about to fall, I would hit (the bar) down to close it,” he said.
Parent Lauren Tardi said she saw workers not always make sure the safety bars were securely attached.
“I was concerned because I could see that when they took it down, a couple of kids, sometimes, they could still put it back up,” she said.
Mayor Scott Gartner consulted with police, fire and other village officials before invoking “his executive authority to order the closure of all other attractions” at the event on Sunday, police said.
Investigators from Illinois police, fire and Department of Labor are leading the investigation into what happened.
“We will work with the Lake County State’s Attorney to determine if any criminal charges will be appropriate in these circumstances,” Antioch Police Chief Geoffrey Guttschow said in a statement Monday.
Equipment and labor for the ride were provided by Lockport, Ill.-based All American Amusement under contract with the town’s Chamber of Commerce, Antioch officials said.
To ride Moby Dick, a passenger must be at least 42 inches tall, according to All American Amusement website.
All American lists the maker of the ride as Wisdom Rides of America with Moby Dick as a version of their genesis ride line.
Representatives for All American and Wisdom Rides could not immediately be reached for comment Monday.
The Associated Press contributed.
