What was meant to be a fun Friday night outing reportedly left one 12-year-old boy fearing for his life.
Jacob Gerritsen told Fairfax Media he thought he "was going to die" when he was flipped from a high-speed gravity ride at the Wairarapa A&P show.
The schoolboy was treated by paramedics and firefighters, and fortunately only had a grazed head and some bruising. He was later taken to hospital, but not admitted.
The protective padding on the Gravitron ride seemed to have slipped off, flinging Jacob into the padding, then on the steel framework, Fairfax reports.
Jacob's mother Kristan Ramsden has responded, calling for a review of fairground rides.
"He could have been killed, he was really lucky he didn't get a more serious injury," she told Fairfax.
"He was getting thrown around and his head smashed against the steel."
Jacob says he couldn't sleep on his back because of the bruising on his head, and was upset because he thought the man operating the ride blamed him for the incident.
According to Fairfax, the ride's operator, John Mahon of Mahon's Amusements, phoned Ms Ramsden yesterday after she contacted the company during the weekend. He denied blaming Jacob.
It's understood Ms Ramsden is planning to complain to WorkSafe NZ this week.
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