An 8-year-old Malaysian girl fell to her death at an amusement park in Australia after slipping out of her seat and landing head-first onto the ground.
Deputy state coroner Ian White said in court on Wednesday (8 June) that her death could have been prevented had the operators followed the ride manufacturer’s height requirement.
The girl, Adelene Leong, was with her mother at the Royal Adelaide Show in Australia back in 2014 at the time of the fatal incident, according to The Mirror.
It is unclear if the girl’s parents managed to claim any insurance from the incident.
Landed on her head in front of her mother
She was on a holiday with her mother and was on the Airmaxx 360 ride when she slipped out of her seat and fell to her death.
Leong was flung into the air at first, before landing head-first onto the ground in front of her mother, as well as other witnesses.
She then succumbed to her injuries and died.
Hung upside down by ankle before being flung
The Airmaxx 360 ride was operating at more than 100km/hr at the time and after Adelene slipped from her seat, she was hanging upside down by her left ankle before being flung out, according to The Daily Mail.
The manufacturers of the ride recommended a minimum height requirement of 140cm for the ride, but the operators at the theme park set the height requirement at 120cm.
Adelene was 137cm tall at the time of the accident.
Non-compliance by operators
White added that the operators failed to comply with the height requirements and concealed it for the purpose of expanding the eligibility of patrons to ride on the Airmaxx 360.
The owners, Jenny-Lee Sullivan and Clinton Watkins also did not undergo a required design registration process for the ride, which they bought in 2013, according to 7NEWS.
Image source: SA Police.