1 Teen Dead, Another Injured After Being Ejected From Carnival Ride

EL PASO, Texas (AP) — One teenage girl was killed and another was injured when they were ejected from a whirling ride at an El Paso church carnival.

The girls were at a parking lot carnival marking the annual Dia de los Ninos holiday at St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church when they were hurled from a spinning ride called "Sizzler" just before 7 p.m. Friday. A 16-year-old girl hit a metal barricade and died a short time later at Del Sol Medical Center. A 15-year-old girl was taken to University Medical Center with injuries not thought to be life-threatening.

A third girl who also was on the ride had hooked her arms on a safety bar and was not ejected.

No identities have been released, and police Sgt. Enrique Carrillo says a cause hasn't been determined.

China Arevalo was selling snacks at a concessions booth when she heard a disturbance nearby. She heard that someone had fallen from one of the carnival rides, she said.

"There was a girl on the ground, and they were doing CPR to revive her" and the girl appeared to have regained consciousness, Arevalo told the El Paso Times. She noticed a large pool of blood on the ground from an injury to the back of the girl's head, she said.

"Sizzler" is a ride that whirls riders around a center pivot and also spins them in their seats. The ride is owned by Playtime Amusements Inc. in Las Cruces, New Mexico. A telephone call to the company was abruptly disconnected. An email message brought no immediate response.

(© Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

Read more
f

We and our partners use cookies to understand how you use our site, improve your experience and serve you personalized content and advertising. Read about how we use cookies in our cookie policy and how you can control them by clicking Manage Settings. By continuing to use this site, you accept these cookies.