Judge punishes French fairground operators after fatal carousel accident

Yesterday, 12.26 pmImage: LUDOVIC.R

Two French fairground operators have been convicted by a judge after a fatal accident involving a swing carousel. In October 2019, a 23-year-old woman died after a gondola of the Sky Flyer gliding carousel hit the arm of an adjacent thrill ride Intoxx.

That’s why she fell out of the bowl. The victim died from her injuries. The fairground workers claimed that the incident was caused by the strong wind. Their lawyer therefore asked for an acquittal. However, research by an expert showed that the layout of the attractions was incorrect.

The process has been delayed several times in recent years. Now there is a verdict after all. The owner of the attractions receives a fine of 10,000 euros and a suspended prison sentence of two years for manslaughter.

Professional ban
In addition, a professional ban is imposed: the man is not allowed to operate major fairground attractions for five years. An employee has been sentenced to a suspended prison sentence of eighteen months.