Civil trial set for boy badly injured on carnival ride
S&T Enterprises waited two days to report child’s hand being shredded by conveyor belt
A trial has been set for July in a lawsuit that says a child’s left hand was shredded by a conveyor belt in a fun house at a Sanford church’s carnival in 2017.
The state sent the ride operator S&T Magic Enterprises a warning letter for waiting two days to report the child’s injury and threatened fines for future reporting violations.
The child’s parents, Jason and Christina Scott, of Seminole County, later sued S&T as well as the All Souls Catholic Church, the diocese and Carol Stream Amusements last year for more than $15,000 in Orange Circuit Court.
The boy was hurt Nov. 4, 2017, when he rode the King Circus Fun House, a three-level attraction that has different tricks inside.
The boy was on the second level which has a conveyor belt similar to one found in an airport terminal, said a December 2017 state investigative report into the incident that was conducted by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, which has oversight on carnival rides.
The child, who was listed as age 5 in the state report, lost his balance and fell on the conveyor belt. When he reached the end of the belt, his left hand was caught between the moving belt and the platform, the report said.
The state report described the injury as a “partial degloving” and said the child was taken to get surgery.
The boy is permanently injured and lives with scares and deformities that will require ongoing medical care and treatment, the family said in court documents.
The state investigation later determined the employees were trained to operate the King House attraction and the ride’s daily inspection reports were “accurate and complete.” Ten days after the boy was hurt, the ride was inspected again and no problems were found, the report also said.
In 2012, a similar accident happened on the same attraction which has been permitted in Florida since 1995, according to the state report.
An 18-year-old was injured on the King Circus fun house when her right foot became stuck in the conveyor belt.
S&T and Carol Stream —
which are registered under the same address by Orlando resident Shirl Magid on SunBiz — did not return messages
When reached for comment, the Diocese of Orlando said in a statement:
“The ride at issue is maintained by a company not affiliated with the Diocese or All Souls Catholic Church. The Diocese of Orlando therefore was not responsible for the maintenance of the ride or injury to the child.
The Diocese is of course, however, very concerned about this unfortunate accident and the injuries sustained by (the child). The safety of all people is very important to Bishop John Noonan and we are praying for everyone involved in this situation.”
The website for church’s harvest festival promotes the safety of the carnival rides.
“Carol Stream Amusements has an excellent safety record. All rides are inspected several times a day by the ride operators and prior to opening by the Florida Dept. of Agriculture,” the website says. “We have worked with this company for eight years and find them safety-conscientious and courteous, with clean rides.”