NEWS: Child critical after falling from ride at Indiana FEC

[Airtime&Gravity]

A 6-year-old boy remains in critical condition Tuesday, five days after falling from a ride at an indoor amusement park in Indianapolis.

 

Police reported that Denzel Jennings hit his head and fell out of the teacup ride Friday night at the Xscape party center.

 

Police reports say Denzel was unconscious but breathing after the accident. His father, Dennis Jennings, told WTHR that the boy's skull was fractured in three places and that he had a seizure on the way to the hospital.

 

Lt. Jeff Duhamell said Tuesday that Denzel was riding with a young girl and an older male of an unknown age. The police report did not say what caused the accident, and homicide detectives are still investigating.

 

A message seeking comment from Xscape was not returned Tuesday.

 

Fox 59

 

 

State safety inspectors are taking a close look at a ride inside Lafayette Square Mall, after a little boy was critically hurt over the weekend.

 

The ride has been closed since the incident. Five year-old Denzel Jennings was knocked unconscious when he hit his head and fell out of the tea cup ride at the Xscape party center.

 

The state fire marshal says Xscape's owners failed to notify him of the accident within four hours. He told Fox59 News he just learned about Friday's incident on Monday. We've also learned that the ride was overdue for an inspection.

 

"The ride permit and entertainment permit had expired and so based on that, there are a total of four rides at that facility. We did shut those 4 rides down," said State Fire Marshal Jim Greeson.

 

According to homeland security records, the tea cup ride was last inspected in December of 2008. It was supposed to be re-inspected in December of last year. That's when the permit for all four rides expired.

 

At last check, Denzel Jennings remained in critical condition.

 

Fox 59

 

 

MOD EDIT by larrygator: You post a lot of news on the site and we thank you, but please try to be less generic in your thread titles. Using the word "park" instead of "FEC" or "indoor park" makes a lot of people (who are unfalimiar with park operating schedules) think of Holiday World and Indiana Beach. Thanks.

Edited March 31, 2010 by jedimaster1227

[Airtime&Gravity]

Sorry for the double post, but the park has been just been shut down for not having the permits necessary and failing a safety inspection.

 

State inspectors have shut down an indoor theme park where a boy was critically injured after falling from a ride on Friday.

 

Four rides at Xscape, a 75,000-square-foot facility at Indianapolis' Lafayette Square Mall, failed inspection Tuesday morning, 6News' Rafael Sanchez reported.

 

Indiana State Fire Marshal Jim Greeson said the rides were operating without a state-required permit, and that the facility did not have a required amusement and entertainment permit.

 

Denzel Jennings, 6, was injured after falling from the facility's tea cup ride.

 

Lt. Jeff Duhamell said Tuesday that Denzel was riding with a young girl and an older male of an unknown age.

 

Greeson said state inspectors found minor issues with that ride on Tuesday, but did not say whether those problems may have contributed to Friday's accident.

 

Jennings was listed in critical condition at Riley Hospital For Children on Tuesday.

 

A message seeking comment from Xscape was not returned Tuesday.

 

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[99er]

Homeland Security? Since when do they handle ride inspections?

[jamesdillaman]

^ The agency in charge of amusement rides differs by state. In Ohio, it's under the Department of Agriculture, for example...

[Skramp]

^ The agency in charge of amusement rides differs by state. In Ohio, it's under the Department of Agriculture, for example...

 

^Which completely explains why SOB has not burnt down yet!!! It's amazing these people can inspect corn fields, then go and inspect a roller coaster.

[99er]

^ The agency in charge of amusement rides differs by state. In Ohio, it's under the Department of Agriculture, for example...

I understand its different for each state and while DoA in Ohio makes sense to me, for some reason Homeland Security does not. I really can't explain why but it just sounds more odd to me when I hear it. Maybe because when I hear Homeland Security, I think of secrets, spying, police officers, FBI, etc., not some guys climbing around on Voyage

[jray21]

DHS does seem very odd. Thanks for the report. This will be interesting to watch with all the teacup rides out there. There was one teacup ride that was pretty scary and felt like it was going to throw you out. It was a tiny version at La Qua, and the "cup" barely came halfway up my back.

[Airtime&Gravity]

No surprise here, and completely deserved, the family is now suing the FEC.

 

An indoor theme park where a boy was critically injured last week reopened on Thursday, while the child's family prepares to file a lawsuit.

 

Denzel Jennings, 5, remained in critical condition Thursday after he was injured Friday night on the tea cup ride at Xscape in Indianapolis' Lafayette Square Mall.

 

"The ride moved so violently he struck his head, fractured his skull in two places and was rendered unconscious at the scene," said the family's attorney, Tom Doehrman.

 

The facility was shut down Tuesday after that ride and three others failed inspection, and it was discovered that the facility did not have a required amusement and entertainment permit.

 

Xscape reapplied for its permits on Wednesday and was allowed to reopen on Thursday morning, although the four rides will remained closed until minor repairs are made, 6News' Rafael Sanchez reported.

 

The lawsuit by the Jennings family seeks unspecified damages for the boy's injuries, while Doehrman is asking for another inspection of the tea cup ride, and is seeking a preliminary injunction to stop Xscape from reopening the attraction.

 

Indiana State Fire Marshal Jim Greeson said that state inspectors determined there was nothing wrong with the tea cup ride that would have caused Jennings to be injured.

 

But the family's attorney said he is also looking at two calls to a state hot line made by a former Xscape employee who said he believed there were issues with rides, as 6News reported Wednesday.

 

"We don't know if they had responded, would Denzel be in a coma? We don't know that. It's certainly a possibility," Doehrman said.

 

Greeson admitted that the messages were received, but not acted upon, and said the agency would conduct an internal review of the incident.

 

Zoom Entertainment, which operates Xscape, issued a statement on Wednesday saying that it "cannot comment on specifics facts at this time until more details are learned as this inquiry progresses."

 

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