Oct 6, 2008 2:06 pm US/Eastern
Mother, Toddler Dangle In Air From Carnival Ride
PORT ORANGE (CBS4) ―
A central Florida carnival ride turned terrifying for a mother and her toddler who were left dangling over 30 feet in the air.
The mother and child were stepping off the "Crazy Bus" kiddie ride Saturday night when it began to lift back into the air unexpectedly. The ride rotates like a small Ferris wheel and when it began to move upward as Sherri Pinkerton was trying to get off, she was stuck dangling by one arm while holding her daughter, Gracie, in the other.
Pinkerton hung on as long as she could but then had to drop her daughter, who was caught by fairgoers.
"I let go of her and she grabbed my shirt," Pinkerton told WKMG-TV. "So, I had to pry her hands off my shirt and let her fall."
Pinkerton said she could not hang on while also holding her daughter.
"There was nothing I could do," she said. "I couldn't hold both of us. I held onto her for as long as I could."
Port Orange paramedic Scott Russell said Monday he found Pinkerton dangling over the ride at a Port Orange carnival. Port Orange is about six miles south of Daytona Beach.
Russell and another paramedic used a ladder to climb to her. When they reached the top, they also found six screaming children inside.
"We got all the kids to move to the back of the ride, and we helped the woman climb back in," Russell said.
State inspectors are investigating whether the ride malfunctioned or whether operator error was to blame. No one was hurt.
(© 2008 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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