Mum-of-eight hurled from fairground ride and sent into coma agrees to £1.43m settlement after High Court battle with owner
13 November 2024, 20:04
A mum-of-eight who spent weeks in a coma after being thrown from a fairground ride in west London has reached a £1.43 million settlement in a High Court case against the ride’s owner.
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Khadra Ali was ejected from the Xcelerator ride at the Funderpark funfair in Yiewsley, West London, on April 10, 2018.
Shocking footage from the incident shows her being flung through the air as the ride continued to rotate.
After the accident, she spent weeks in a coma and required months of recovery in the hospital.
In May, the Health and Safety Executive reported that Ali had sustained multiple fractures to her back, hips, pelvis, ribs, and both collarbones, along with internal bleeding and a severe head injury.
Ali pursued damages from Derek Hackett, the ride’s owner operating as Hackett Fairs, after being left unable to carry out household tasks or activities with her children.
During a High Court hearing on Wednesday, it was revealed that Ms. Ali had reached an out-of-court settlement with Derek Hackett.
Her lawyer, Robert Kellar KC, stated that the £1.43 million settlement was “within the range of reasonable offers.”Judge Rebecca Crane approved the amount at the conclusion of the brief hearing in London, describing it as “a very sensible settlement for both parties.”
Earlier this year, the Health and Safety Executive reported that Ms. Ali, now in her 50s, was riding with her daughter and had not been properly secured in her seat when she was thrown from the ride.
According to the executive, she “screamed for help” and clung desperately to the “fast-motion” ride before being ejected, striking a barrier on a neighboring ride before landing on the ground.
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An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) into the incident revealed that the ride’s seat restraint system, manufactured by Perrin Stevens Limited, had both electrical and mechanical flaws.
Additionally, the ride’s control system was configured in a way that failed to detect all potential malfunctions.
The investigation further concluded that Mr. Hackett had not adequately maintained the ride; however, this was partly due to the operator manual from Perrin Stevens lacking clear instructions on inspecting and maintaining the seat restraint system.
On the day of the accident, Hackett’s ride operator was working without an attendant, despite the operations manual stipulating that a minimum of two people were required to operate and monitor the ride.
The operator also failed to check each rider’s restraint bar before starting the ride and did not recognize that Ms. Ali needed assistance or stop the ride accordingly.
Hackett, formerly of School Street, Radcliffe, Manchester, was one of three men to admit to health and safety violations at Westminster Magistrates' Court earlier this year.
He received an 18-week suspended sentence, valid for 18 months, and was ordered to pay £4,800 in costs.
