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First pictures of toddler killed in rollercoaster accident
Amar Singh13.05.09
The two-year-old boy killed after being struck by a rollercoaster has been named as Erjon Hyseni.
The toddler's mother Migena and father Lulzim, from Haringey, north London screamed and had to be held back as the tragedy unfolded.
The horrific scenes were described by witnesses today after Erjon ran on to the tracks of the ride at Ducketts Common in Wood Green.
Residents said they heard the frantic shouts and screams of the child's mother and father as their son lay on the grass by the Go-Gator children's roller coaster.
Graham Harper, 31, who lives opposite the fairground said: “I heard shouting and about ten security guards wearing reflective jackets were opening all the barriers trying to get to the child. The father was very distressed and being held back by a friend.
“The child was lying in between the bouncy castle and where the tracks of the child's ride are.
“He was on the bouncy castle and the next minute he was on the tracks of the Go-Gator ride.
“There were yellow railings on the side of the ride between it and the bouncy castle but the child must have got underneath or through them.
“I don't think he fell off the ride, but was hit by the carriage.
“The child's father was extremely distressed and trying to get to his son but a friend and then later police restrained him as paramedics worked on his son at the scene for about half an hour. He was then rushed to hospital, I think with multiple injuries.”
Another resident Dorothy Murphy, 88, said: “I didn't see anything because my sight is bad but I think everyone heard the terrified screams of the mother of the little boy.
“She was in a very bad state. She was crying and screaming, I knew something awful had happened. I couldn't make out words, just her panicked screams of terror.”
He was taken to hospital by ambulance with severe injuries but was pronounced dead shortly after arrival. Police were called to the funfair at about 7.30pm.
The Health and Safety Executive has launched an investigation and were today running tests on the rollercoaster and examining the safety measures
Ray Smith, spokesman for the Showmen's Guild, the trade association for fairgrounds, said: “The whole fairground industry is shocked. There is an investigation going on and everyone is fully co-operating.
“The operator hit the stop button as soon as she saw him — at the moment we don't know how he got to the tracks at the back of the roller coaster.
“The whole thing is an awful, shocking tragedy and we send our sympathies to the family. This is the first fatality on a British fairground in 10 years and serious incidents are extremely rare.”
The funfair, held for nine days every May in the small park of Ducketts Common, is run by a Hertfordshire-based company called JEA Manning and Sons. The company runs similar fairs in areas including Enfield, Finsbury Park and Hackney.
Mr Smith said: “The Manning family have been running funfairs for generations and have always made safety a priority.”
A Met police spokeswoman said: “A post mortem will take place later today. There have been no arrests.”
Flowers were laid close to the scene of the tragic accident today.
In 1999, Narelle Cozens a 28 year-old Australian tourist was killed when a ride car fell to the ground in Shepherds Bush.
Reader views (24)
My prayers r with u and your family. I just lost a 3 yr. old 10 months ago. no one knows what u r going thru unless they have been thru it themsleves. Pray to Gos, ask him 4 strength hourly and daily. U will need it, but he will give u what u need to make it thru this. Your family is in my prayers.
- Katrina T, Flint, MI USA
All our family feel sorry for the loss of your child ....
- Xhevat Mucaj, stoke on trent
Words can not express the loss of a child and one so young, my deapest sympathys to the family. rest in eternal peace little guy.
- Sean,Yorkshire, Uk., leeds UK
u will b missed dearly by every1 mother and father will b supported by every1 2, im a 14 yr old girl and find these fings very upsetting
RIP Erjon xxxxxxx
- Hayleigh, st austell england
I feel so sorry for the whole family. The loss of a child must be horific so they must be going through hell. He didnt know any better he was only two.The people on the ride must be shaken up, seeing a boy on the tracks one minute and hitting him the next. Just awful.
- Megan, Hemel Hempstead
RIP Erjon- no words can every express the loss of a child
- Melissa, Brick, NJ USA
I feel so awful as I have a 2 year old boy too who runs into and onto everything. It is just so terrifying to have a child at this age with no concept of danger.
My heart goes out to them as I can see myself easily in their position and it would break my heart if this happened to me.
- Anneka, London
my sympathy go's out to the parents,
we all know a toddler is not aware of the dangers in life this poor child could of just as easily wondered out of the fairground and been abducted or wondered on to the road again leading to a tragic situation.
The safety at fairgrounds is paramount and the showman's guild ensure that this is so, with very tight regulations they work very closely with the HSE & AIDIPS also the traveling fairground has a first class safety record of many passenger carrying industries far better than trains, bus', air lines, theme parks, children's playgrounds, etc. with a percentage of incidents less than 1% at around 0.06% many of which are minor injuries.
The sad truth is every every situation and place does have an element of risk if you don't act in the correct manor to the situation you are in, it is the parents responsibility to know where their child is,
- Pj, cheshire
Absolutely awful. My heart goes out to the parent. No-one should judge them.
- Natalie, London, North London
How tragic! I feel for the parents. As a retired police officer I responded to several calls involving children and I can tell you first hand it's something one never forgets.
- Rick Huffman, Saint Joseph, Michigan
Fanfan La Tulipe - couldn't have put it better myself. These poor parents deserve sympathy not misplaced condemnation. I'm always amazed and disappointed by those who are so quick to jump to assumptions and judge others, try putting yourself in their shoes for one moment.
- Mandy, London
I hate to hear of young children dying and this awful tragedy shocks me.The parents must be distressed beyond words. They have all our sympathy Im sure.
T H Leeds
- Thomas Hayes, Leeds UK
Suzy London and Traci Essex, even if you wish to assume that the little boy's parents smoke cigarettes and/or eat burgers and/or gossip, it really does not make them bad parents. They have just lost the most precious thing in the world and all you can do is take a totally misplaced high moral stance. Does not say much for you, does it?
- Fanfan La Tulipe, London
Oh c'mon: 2 year olds are impossible to restrain - and I even use reins for mine. They suddenly take off at full speed: even if you have eyes in the back of your head and are being vigilant it's hard to keep up. I think I'd question how he got through the barrier, or why the bouncy castle was near something so clearly interesting but dangerous to his age group.
Awful, awful tragedy: the poor parents.
- Roz, France
Suzy, you don't specify what parents of toddlers should actually spend their money on, to protect their toddlers. Do you mean reins? Tiny children are by nature adventurous and at this age have no sense of danger, and accidents do happen - you can't watch them every single second of the day. Luckily, like kidnappings, they are extremely rare and parents should not be paranoid about the risks of either. I feel so sorry for those poor parents, though.
- Lindsay, london
What on earth is Suzy from London on about? A toddler has been killed, an unbelievable tragedy for any family and she is banging on about cigarettes? How would spending 5 pounds help the family? Please leave your rabid comments on an anti smoking site and do not insult this poor family in their time of grief!
- Denis, London UK
yeah thanks for the lecture on parenting and the 'advice' suzy. myself and many other parents of toddlers are very vigilant actually. you obviously do not have kids otherwise you would know that sometimes a two year old can move as fast as a racing greyhound.
- Kh, London UK
Deepest sympathy to mum and dad of this little toddler, we must all learn from tragadies like this and never let our precious ones out of our sight.
- Brian, Wiltshire
What a dreadful accident. My sympathy goes out to all who have been impacted by this accident, but especially the parents.
- Alan, East London
How can a child get over the barriers onto the track without his parents seeing.
I really hope they were not scoffing burgers, fagging it up, or gossiping....
Its a terible accident, I feel totally sorry for them (im not a total bitch) - but when my kids were 2 (and I had twins) I watched them like a hawk.
- Traci, Essex
Suzy, I don't really understand what point you are trying to make? Every year, millions is spent on child safety equipment in the UK alone. Are you suggesting parents who smoke are in some way compromising their child's safety and using the money to buy fags instead?
This is a tragic accident - An accident, not anyone's fault.
As the vigilent (non smoking) parent of a toddler, it is so easy to have them run off with no concern for where they are going. It only takes seconds for things like this to happen. I always use reins whilst outside, but it seems so sad to have to do so at a funfair.
My deepest sympathy for the parents and family of this little boy for their truly tragic loss.
- Smb, London, UK
Please would all other parents of toddlers go out today and spend the equivalent cost of a packet of cancer sticks (aka cigarettes) on the safety of their most precious possessions. Start a new trend and prevent both kidnapping and fatalities..
My sympathies to the parents of this little boy and to the traumatised people running and using the ride at the time of this tragic event.
- Suzy, London, England
Yes I remember that a few years back also. There was a fatality at Shepheds Bush Green where a few people were thrown from a ride & it was an Australian woman who died. I still think about it when I am around there as they still have fun fairs there.
- Cassandra, London, UK
If I remember right this is not the first fatality in 20 years, I think a few years back there was an accident at a funfair on Shepherds Bush Green, London, where people were thrown out of a ride, and I think one of them died.
- Ros, London UK
