SANTA BARBARA, HONDURAS: At a carnival in Santa Barbara, a girl died while clinging to a spinning carousel when a safety lock broke. In front of frightened family members, Britany Fernandez, 13, slipped from her seat and was thrown onto a metal bar.
Brittany Fernandez
A video clip of the event has gone viral online, showing how the ride lock that held the teenager in her seat appeared to have broken. Britany could be seen holding the roller coaster as it spun quickly.
Britany’s head hit a railing as the child’s body crashed into the metal platform below. Locals rushed to help the youngster, but after being fatally hit in the head, she died shortly after being admitted to hospital.
It is believed that Britany hit the iron fence bar which prevented her from surviving. On Tuesday, August 16, hundreds of Britany’s classmates attended a memorial service ahead of her funeral. Britany’s classmates reportedly called her “vibrant, happy and smart” according to The Sun.
Friend: “Estefany Pineda, “Britany was always calm and had a great attitude. She was good all the time. She had so many dreams for her life, so it’s pretty terrible that this happened.
Wilmer Reyes, the director of the Juan Lindo Institute where Britany was studying, expressed his condolences. “Brittany was a charming and modest young woman. She played snare drum in the military band, he continued, adding that “we are particularly shocked by what happened because she was much loved at school, as evidenced by the more than 300 students who supported his family in their lives”. heartbreaking loss.
The manager demanded that tough action be taken against the fairground owners and better safety procedures to ensure similar accidents never happen again. In order to prevent such tragedies from happening again, Reyes called for increased security for these types of fairground rides.
The fairground has apparently been closed since the August 14 incident according to local media. Police have opened an investigation, but no one has been arrested yet. The Investigation Directorate of the Police deals with the matter in order to gather information and decide whether or not criminal proceedings should be initiated. According to Santa Barbara Police Officer Jesus Pineda, “It was discovered early on in the investigation that Britany’s death was accidental. The miner died instantly after colliding with a platform in the ride.
The girl’s parents were accused by the fairground ride owners as they spoke to a local TV station. The girl arrived without her parents and fainted, they claimed. Since we have operating permits, it is not our fault.
