A fall from a carnival ride Thursday night at Missoula’s Western Montana Fair sent a girl to the hospital with serious injuries.
“An 11-year-old girl between 6:30 and 7:00 last night fell from a carnival ride called the Typhoon and sustained injuries," says Missoula County’s Risk and Benefits manager Erica Grinde. "Last that we had heard through the police, she was in serious condition."
The victim was taken by ambulance to a nearby hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
The Typhoon ride features what looks like bench seating that’s mounted to a pivot and swings in a circle.
Grinde says the Western Montana Fair’s carnival is operated by a company called North Star Amusements.
“From a liability perspective, the county is not in control of those rides, and frankly, doesn’t have any expertise in the operation of those rides. That’s why we bring in a contractor who does this sort of thing all over the northwest."
Missoula County requires North Star to carry liability coverage of $1 million per claim.
An investigation is underway. There’s currently no indication of who or what is to blame for Thursday’s accident.
Grinde says all of the Western Montana Fair’s carnival rides - with the exception of the Typhoon – are open.
An inspector is examining the now-closed Typhoon ride.