An amusement park ride that was part of a B.C. touring fair is closed over the long weekend as investigations continue into the death of a worker.
Witnesses said that part of the fair’s twirling Zipper ride hit a man during its opening night in Prince Rupert, B.C.
Now, Technical Safety B.C. says that this weekend, during the fair’s next stop in Terrace, B.C., the Zipper ride won’t be running, and going forward, the fair has been given some specific safety instructions.
“While the investigation into the Prince Rupert incident is ongoing, the safety officer has outlined the safety requirements that must be met before the carnival can be permitted to operate in Terrace over the long weekend,” it reads.
It added that until further notice “the Zipper ride will not be operating,” and that the carnival company had been showing a “high level of co-operation.”
Technical Safety B.C. said it conducted interviews with people on site after the accident in Prince Rupert.
The independent organization oversees the safe installation of equipment, including water slides and amusement rides.
Shooting Star Amusements, which operates the carnival that travels around B.C., previously that the worker who died was a “dear close friend” and a “great man.”
The carnival was closed in Prince Rupert after the man died, and ticket refunds were offered for the two remaining days it was scheduled to be operating in the town.
In Prince Rupert, B.C., an amusement park worker is dead after a celebratory night at the community’s annual summer carnival. The incident, which saw the worker being hit by a ride, was witnessed by people in line. As Brady Strachan reports, people in the North Coast community are coming together to reflect and heal.
Promotional posts on the company’s Facebook page show that the fair, which was originally scheduled to run in Terrace for three days over the Labour Day long weekend, had been cut down to two.
The Zipper ride rotates fair-goers in individual carts while also quickly rotating itself. Witnesses told CBC News the worker walked out onto the deck of the Zipper ride while it was operating in Prince Rupert, seemingly to clean something up, but he was then hit by the ride.
A number of carnival attendees were there at the time of the death, which happened around 10:40 p.m. PT on Aug. 26.
Technical Safety B.C. said ts investigation into the case is ongoing, and other agencies like WorkSafeBC and the B.C. Coroners Service are also involved.
CBC News reached out to Shooting Star Entertainment about the restrictions, but did not hear back.
