A 10-year-old boy was launched from a carnival ride at the Taste of Antioch festival in Illinois on Sunday. Eyewitnesses said that the boy lay unconscious before being airlifted to Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge. He has not yet been discharged from the hospital.
The Antioch Fire Department was called around 2:40 p.m., according to ABC 7.
Following the incident, Antioch Mayor Scott Gartner shut down the rides for the remainder of the festival, per USA Today.
“We are always trying to make sure these are safe fun family events and our thoughts and prayers go out to the child that fell and his family,: Gartner told WGN 9 after the incident. “I have two young daughters myself. It hit close to home and we have to make sure something like this never happens again and the child is ok.”
Another child, Elliott Johnson, was on the same ride and also nearly fell off, according to WGN 9.
“My bar was coming up over my head, so every time I went up because it was going up and I was almost about to fall out, I would slam down to close it so that way I would not fall out,” Johnson said. “Then as soon as it started slowing down and it was about maybe rocking on the floor, I was able to push it up and slide out.” (RELATED: Swedish Roller Coaster Derails, Killing One, Injuring Others)
The Illinois Department of Labor and Antioch’s police and fire departments are currently investigating the incident.