10-year-old boy thrown from carnival ride in Illinois

The severe injury of a 10-year-old boy thrown from a carnival ride in northern Illinois has prompted an investigation by the Illinois Department of Labor.

The child sustained multiple facial and jaw fractures as well as a significant injury to his leg on July 16. The incident occurred after he fell from a ride called Moby Dick stationed at the Antioch Taste of Summer Carnival in Antioch, Illinois, which is a village located 60 miles northwest of Chicago.

According to a press release, the boy is in critical condition but suffered no life-threatening injuries.

Police and fire emergency teams responded to the scene, where the victim was flown to Advocate Lutheran General Hospital. Due to the extent of his injuries, the boy was then transferred to Comer Children's Hospital in Chicago, where he was taken in for surgery on the morning of July 17.

Following the incident, Antioch Mayor Scott Gartner issued an executive order pausing all rides at the carnival for the safety of the community.

“We plan to work with the Chamber of Commerce to identify exactly what led to this horrible accident and what we can do to work together to ensure nothing like this will happen again in our community,” Gartner said.

According to NBC News, Antioch Fire Chief Jon Cokefair estimated that the child fell 15 to 20 feet from the ride, which secures passengers in place at the shoulders.

In an interview with NBC Chicago, witness Elliott Johnson said he saw the boy fall from the ride.

“I saw maybe on the third time around, he almost did a like a dive, like his hands were down and his legs were straight off the ride and (he) landed” on the pavement, Johnson said, adding that he’d also gone on the ride and had problems with its safety bar.

“My bar was coming up over my head so I was trying, every time I went up ... I was almost about to fall out, I would slam (the bar) down to close it,” he said.

A website for the ride’s operator, All Around Amusement, describes Moby Dick as a “platform ride that whisks riders left to right and over the top in a fast pace motion.”

The Amusement Ride and Attraction Safety Division of the Illinois Department of Labor is in charge of annually inspecting amusement rides and attractions open to the public. The division’s website states that all rides are required to pass inspection in order to operate and be insured in Illinois.

According to the Antioch Police Department’s Facebook page, the division is conducting its own investigation to determine if criminally reckless or negligent acts brought about the incident.

“We will be working with the Lake County States Attorney to determine if any criminal charges will be appropriate under these circumstances,” said Antioch Police Chief Guttschow.

This article was originally published on TODAY.com