What was supposed to be the last ride of the night at a Nova Scotia amusement park may have been the last ride ever on “The Scrambler” for Dustin Comeau.
The 10-year-old boy and his stepmother were on the ride at the Western Nova Scotia Exhibition in Yarmouth Tuesday when it malfunctioned.
“We were enjoying it and all of a sudden, mid-ride, we heard a big, loud ‘bang,’” says Jennifer Outhouse. “Then we lurched forward and it feels like we’re being dragged for I don’t know how long.”
“It just broke and it broke when it was going at full speed,” says Comeau. “My legs were pinned under the bar that holds you in.”
Two children in another seat were struck with metal pieces that came loose from the broken seat. They were taken to hospital as a precaution, along with Comeau and Outhouse, but everyone managed to escape with only minor cuts and bruises.
“I’m very sore,” says Outhouse. “I’ve got several bruises on my leg and my elbow, and very stiff from impact.”
“It’s still my favourite…just, I might not be going on it,” says Comeau of the popular amusement park ride.
The volunteer manager at the exhibition says he considers the issue over until he receives a report from the Nova Scotia Department of Labour, but he says he has been volunteering at the event for 40 years and has never had an accident.
“The one thing I would like to see if maybe some stricter safety rules,” says Comeau’s father, David Outhouse.
The labour department is investigating the incident and an inspector was on site today. The department’s director of technical safety says the rides are inspected everyday.
The investigation is expected to be completed within the next few days.
With files from CTV Atlantic's Kayla Hounsell
